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Red Barr
Alfred "Red" Barr (August 14, 1908 – June 12, 1971) was an American Hall of Fame swim coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU). He coached the Southern Methodist swimming team for twenty-four years from 1947 through 1971, where he led the Mustangs to seventeen Southwestern Conference Championships, including fifteen consecutive championships from 1957 through 1971.
Barr was born on August 14, 1908, to Bertha May Walker and William James Barr in the small community of Avon, Ohio, outside Cleveland, where he attended Avon High School and graduated in 1926. Demonstrating a high level of academic achievement, he was the valedictorian of his High School class.
He attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1930 with an A.B. degree. Though he was not involved in competitive swimming, he lettered in the sports of both basketball and baseball, captaining Oberlin College's 1929-30 basketball team, and playing third-base on the 1930 baseball team. He received a master's degree from New York University in 1937.
After coaching Track and Swimming at Connellsville High School, in the greater Pittsburgh area, Barr began in the US v-5 Naval Program in November, 1942, and remained in the service through Feb. 1, 1946 primarily with the rank of Lieutenant. While coaching at SMU, he remained in the Naval reserve until 1963, reaching the rank of Commander. Barr served as an Assistant Physical Instructor during his early years with the Navy in Athens, Georgia, and his responsibilities included teaching swimming techniques to naval flight cadets. While in the Navy in the early 1940's, Barr served under Matty Bell, a Hall of Fame S.M.U. football coach, at the Georgia Pre‐Flight School, and Bell later helped in the process of bringing Mr. Barr to S.M.U. in 1946. After his high school coaching stint and service in the US Navy, Barr returned to Ohio in Spring, 1946 where he married Philadelphia's Helen Paul "Paulie" Cleaver, whom he met during his Naval service.
After completing Oberlin College, he taught Physical Education while coaching at Connellsville High School for 12 years from 1930-1942. The School is now known as the Connellsville Area High School in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. His Coaching career began at Connellsville in 1930 as an Assistant Football Coach, and he also coached field events for the Track Team, and served as a trainer for the basketball team during his twelve-year tenure at the school.
Beginning in 1936, when it first became a varsity sport, he coached swimming at Connellsville, with considerable success, winning the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Championships five times between 1938 and 1942. In their WPIAL championship win in 1939, the team set an all time WPIAL league scoring high mark with 49 points. An outstanding swimmer in 1942 included Harold Stefl, 200-yard freestyle champion. Another 1942 standout swimmer was Bob Munson, who set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke of 1:05.6 when the team won their fifth WPIAL championship that year. One of Barr's outstanding swimmers was Grant Buttermore, who swam a state record 100-yard breast stroke time of 1:12.6 at the WPIAL Meet in Pittsburgh in February, 1941, leading Connellsville to their fourth consecutive WPIAL championship. Outstanding swimmers in 1942 included record holder in breaststroke James Dwire, and Harold Stefl, 200-yard freestyle champion. The team's 1942 WPIAL championship win was close, with Vandergrift High School's swim team coming within seven points of Connellsville's 49 point total. The team also performed well in the 1943 WPIAL championship under new interim coach W.L. Lewis with most of Barr's former swimmers in competition. During one period near the end of Barr's tenure, Barr's Connellsville swim team won 40 consecutive dual meets. In the 1956-7 season Connellville dropped varsity swimming as a sport, but resumed WPIAL swimming in the 1970-71 season.
After completing his successful high school swim coaching career, and active Naval service, Barr was SMU Head Coach from 1947 to 1971, where he led his teams to 17 Southwestern Conference Championships, the most of any coach in the conference to that date. Fifty of Barr's swimmers and divers received All-American honors, and as outstanding swimmers they led SMU to finish in the top 10 in the NCAA eight times in Barr's tenure as coach between 1962 and 1971, his last nine years. He coached the US men's swimming team to a win at the Pan Am games in 1963. Olympic swimmers he coached included Doug Russell and Ronnie Mills. Barr also coached Richard Quick, an SMU Team Captain in his Senior Year around 1965, and a 400-IM medley winner in a Southwestern Conference Championship. Quick would go on to an exceptional career as both an Olympic Coach and University of Texas and Stanford women's coach, leading his two women's teams to twelve NCAA championships, after serving as an SMU Assistant Coach from 1971 through 1975 under Barr's successor, SMU Hall of Fame Head Coach George McMillion.
In his last ten years of coaching, Barr's SMU teams lost only two meets in dual competition, and while dominating their region won 15 consecutive Southwestern Conference Championships from 1957 through 1971. At one point in his career, Coach Barr's SMU swim teams had 75 consecutive dual meet wins.
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Red Barr
Alfred "Red" Barr (August 14, 1908 – June 12, 1971) was an American Hall of Fame swim coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU). He coached the Southern Methodist swimming team for twenty-four years from 1947 through 1971, where he led the Mustangs to seventeen Southwestern Conference Championships, including fifteen consecutive championships from 1957 through 1971.
Barr was born on August 14, 1908, to Bertha May Walker and William James Barr in the small community of Avon, Ohio, outside Cleveland, where he attended Avon High School and graduated in 1926. Demonstrating a high level of academic achievement, he was the valedictorian of his High School class.
He attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1930 with an A.B. degree. Though he was not involved in competitive swimming, he lettered in the sports of both basketball and baseball, captaining Oberlin College's 1929-30 basketball team, and playing third-base on the 1930 baseball team. He received a master's degree from New York University in 1937.
After coaching Track and Swimming at Connellsville High School, in the greater Pittsburgh area, Barr began in the US v-5 Naval Program in November, 1942, and remained in the service through Feb. 1, 1946 primarily with the rank of Lieutenant. While coaching at SMU, he remained in the Naval reserve until 1963, reaching the rank of Commander. Barr served as an Assistant Physical Instructor during his early years with the Navy in Athens, Georgia, and his responsibilities included teaching swimming techniques to naval flight cadets. While in the Navy in the early 1940's, Barr served under Matty Bell, a Hall of Fame S.M.U. football coach, at the Georgia Pre‐Flight School, and Bell later helped in the process of bringing Mr. Barr to S.M.U. in 1946. After his high school coaching stint and service in the US Navy, Barr returned to Ohio in Spring, 1946 where he married Philadelphia's Helen Paul "Paulie" Cleaver, whom he met during his Naval service.
After completing Oberlin College, he taught Physical Education while coaching at Connellsville High School for 12 years from 1930-1942. The School is now known as the Connellsville Area High School in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. His Coaching career began at Connellsville in 1930 as an Assistant Football Coach, and he also coached field events for the Track Team, and served as a trainer for the basketball team during his twelve-year tenure at the school.
Beginning in 1936, when it first became a varsity sport, he coached swimming at Connellsville, with considerable success, winning the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Championships five times between 1938 and 1942. In their WPIAL championship win in 1939, the team set an all time WPIAL league scoring high mark with 49 points. An outstanding swimmer in 1942 included Harold Stefl, 200-yard freestyle champion. Another 1942 standout swimmer was Bob Munson, who set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke of 1:05.6 when the team won their fifth WPIAL championship that year. One of Barr's outstanding swimmers was Grant Buttermore, who swam a state record 100-yard breast stroke time of 1:12.6 at the WPIAL Meet in Pittsburgh in February, 1941, leading Connellsville to their fourth consecutive WPIAL championship. Outstanding swimmers in 1942 included record holder in breaststroke James Dwire, and Harold Stefl, 200-yard freestyle champion. The team's 1942 WPIAL championship win was close, with Vandergrift High School's swim team coming within seven points of Connellsville's 49 point total. The team also performed well in the 1943 WPIAL championship under new interim coach W.L. Lewis with most of Barr's former swimmers in competition. During one period near the end of Barr's tenure, Barr's Connellsville swim team won 40 consecutive dual meets. In the 1956-7 season Connellville dropped varsity swimming as a sport, but resumed WPIAL swimming in the 1970-71 season.
After completing his successful high school swim coaching career, and active Naval service, Barr was SMU Head Coach from 1947 to 1971, where he led his teams to 17 Southwestern Conference Championships, the most of any coach in the conference to that date. Fifty of Barr's swimmers and divers received All-American honors, and as outstanding swimmers they led SMU to finish in the top 10 in the NCAA eight times in Barr's tenure as coach between 1962 and 1971, his last nine years. He coached the US men's swimming team to a win at the Pan Am games in 1963. Olympic swimmers he coached included Doug Russell and Ronnie Mills. Barr also coached Richard Quick, an SMU Team Captain in his Senior Year around 1965, and a 400-IM medley winner in a Southwestern Conference Championship. Quick would go on to an exceptional career as both an Olympic Coach and University of Texas and Stanford women's coach, leading his two women's teams to twelve NCAA championships, after serving as an SMU Assistant Coach from 1971 through 1975 under Barr's successor, SMU Hall of Fame Head Coach George McMillion.
In his last ten years of coaching, Barr's SMU teams lost only two meets in dual competition, and while dominating their region won 15 consecutive Southwestern Conference Championships from 1957 through 1971. At one point in his career, Coach Barr's SMU swim teams had 75 consecutive dual meet wins.
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