USF Athletics

Kelly's Conversations: Episode 1 - Chad Barnhardt

March 25, 2020

TAMPA, MARCH 25, 2020 – Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly catches up with Chad Barnhardt, USF's first starting quarterback, in the first edition of Kelly's Conversations.

Kelly's new weekly podcast series will feature former USF standouts of the past, relive their exciting moments in Bulls history and inform listeners on what they're up to now.

Chad Barnhardt USF Notables

• Starting quarterback for USF's first-ever game, an 80-3 rout of Kentucky Wesleyan at Tampa Stadium on Sept. 6, 1997. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the historic game.
• Made 21 starts and won 12 games with the Bulls after transferring from South Carolina.
• Named Offensive MVP in USF's inaugural season.
• Was a team captain in 1998, when he was a I-AA All-America candidate.
• USF career statistical rankings – passing yards (4,138, fifth), average yards per completion (13.8, second), passing yards per game (196.7, third), completion percentage (57.8, third), completions (300, fifth), touchdown passes (27, fifth), passing attempts (519, sixth).
• Notable USF season stats rankings – passing efficiency rating (156.1 in 1998, first), passing yards (2,362 in 1997, 10^th).
• Later served the Bulls as a graduate assistant on offense before becoming an offensive coordinator at Webber International University.

 
Other Interesting Barnhardt Facts

• Originally from Lake Wales, Fla., and lives there now. Was the head football coach at Lake Wales High School for three seasons.
• All-state quarterback and catcher at Lake Wales High School.
• Polk County Player of the Year in 1993 on the football field.
• Was drafted in the eighth round by the Boston Red Sox in 1994. Played one summer in the minors in Fort Myers, Fla., platooning between catcher and DH.
• Was a business major who eventually got into banking.

About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 54th season in 2019-20. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. Eleven USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2018-19 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fourth straight year in 2018-19 and have posted a program record 10 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had 309 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
 
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