Wenatchee High School Athletic Hall of Fame


Jack Barnes
COACH Golf, Baseball, Football and Basketball 1946-1974
Following an outstanding grid career at Cheney Normal (now Eastern Washington University) and naval service during World War II, Jack provided athletic expertise to WHS and North Central Washington for twenty-eight years.

He established the golf program in 1959 and, during fifteen years as coach, built a tradition of regional and statewide success. Jack's 1948 football team won the state title after tying West Seattle, 6-6, in the annual Thanksgiving game that pitted Seattle's best contingent against the best from outside the city. It was WHS's second state football championship. As grid coach for six campaigns through 1952, Barnes' teams compiled a 26-20-4 record. He guided Panther basketball to a 30-15 record for two seasons. Both his 1947 and 1948 squads lost by one point in the district finals to miss berths in the state tournament. Jack resurrected baseball at WHS in 1947 after five seasons of dormancy. He successfully coached the team for six seasons.

During a period of several years while not coaching, Barnes founded the Chelan County Officials Association and participated as president and executive secretary, as well as actively officiating. He was also on the ground floor of establishing Little League baseball in Wenatchee.

As Wenatchee World sports editor Dick Pieper noted, "He has done a service to the area, a service that cannot be repaid in so many dollars, or even in accolades."

- Caricatures of inductees as they appeared while involved in WHS athletics and the synopsis of accomplishments are drawn and written by Jeff Mertes.