Promoted to Executive Deputy Director of Athletics/ Chief Operating Officer in May of 2016, Barry Clements has been a vital part within virtually every area and aspect of the USF Department of Athletics since 1983, having nine different title changes. He now serves as the deputy of the program's 19 sports teams, coaches and support staff leading nearly 500 student-athletes.
During his tenure, Clements has provided oversight for nearly every program and sport at USF including; football, women’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track, men and women's outdoor track and men’s and women’s tennis, as well as the video department, academics, Enhancing U, equipment operations, communications and the Selmon Mentoring Institute. He currently is the sport administrator for men’s basketball. Additionally, Clements administratively oversees all sport administrators, compliance, facilities, events, sports medicine and athletic performance.
USF’s programs have flourished under Clements. The women’s basketball team has advanced to the postseason 12 times in the past 13 seasons, made its first NCAA appearance in 2006, won the WNIT in 2009, and won its first NCAA tournament game in 2013. The men’s soccer team included back-to-back Big East Male Scholar Athletes in 2008 and 2009, and has made the NCAA tournament nine times under head coach George Kiefer, with Elite Eight appearances in 2008 and 2010. In 2010, the women’s soccer team advanced to the Big East tournament championship game, and moved onto to the second round of the NCAA tournament. In 2013, the track and field team took 51 athletes to the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, recorded six conference champions, 18 athletes qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary rounds, three athletes qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship, and there have been 30 All-Americans in program history. While under Clements’ watch, the women's tennis team advanced to NCAA Regionals in 2006, with two players earning All-America honors and one taking part in the NCAA Singles Championship. The women's golf team advanced to the 2002 and 2005 NCAA Regionals and won the 2003 Conference USA Championship.
Since Clements took over the men's basketball program, the Bulls recorded their most successful season ever in 2011-2012 with a conference record of 12-6 and an overall record of 22-14. The program went to its second-ever NCAA Tournament and recorded the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament wins with a first-round victory over California and a second-round triumph over Temple. Stan Heath was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year that same season. The Bulls began their return to the postseason in 2010, the first time since 2002, when they went to the NIT. In 2009-10, USF registered back-to-back victories over ranked teams against No. 17 Pittsburgh and at No. 7 Georgetown. The win over the Hoyas was USF's first-ever road win over a top-10 team.
Clements was extremely involved in the overall construction of USF's athletic training center, specifically overseeing the equipment, sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas. Arguably one of the biggest accomplishments Clements has been involved in was USF securing $2.79 million to build a new track and field complex. This facility is a venue for other Bay Area events offered through the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. The facility will also host National Collegiate Athletic Association East Preliminary Rounds and home track meets.
Clements has overseen the sports medicine area since 1983, when he first came to USF. Over the course of his tenure, Clements has built a comprehensive Sports Medicine Department and program that is one of the best in the country. He has developed a network of the Tampa Bay area's top physicians, covering every facet of healthcare to serve USF's student-athletes. He currently fundraises annually for the Sport Medicine program and has raised over $800,000 for the department. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of the substance abuse program and has provided oversight for the drug testing program. He is also responsible for building the Strength and Conditioning Department. As in sports medicine, Clements served as the lead administrator in Strength and Conditioning and remains certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
A certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and the Southeastern Athletic Trainers Association, Clements is a past president of the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida. During his presidency, that organization became incorporated and tax-exempt while achieving registration and licensure. Clements also served as a Doping Control Officer for the United States Anti Doping Agency, formerly the United States Olympic Committee of which he also served as an athletic trainer for men's and women's volleyball during the Olympic Festival in 1993. He was invited to be the men's volleyball athletic trainer for the World University Games in 1995. He has been a lecturer on sports medicine, including tours of Sweden, Finland and Russia. In 1994, he became the first American athletic trainer to work the European Championships. Clements won the 1993 Florida Overall Athletic Trainer of the Year Award, and was also the 1992 winner in the college and professional sports division. In 2003, Clements was inducted into the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida Hall of Fame. He was named the 2006 Outstanding Associate Director of Athletics by the All-American Football Foundation. Clements was elected by Governor Charlie Crist to serve on the State of Florida Board of Athletic Training in 2009 and served until 2013.
Clements has served on various USF committees, and is currently on the Sun Dome, Inc. Board, the CFP/Tampa Bay Sports Commission Community Relations Subcommittee, as well as the University Leadership Council. Clements is also actively involved in annual fundraising. He has served on a host of committees outside of USF, including the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee, of which he was named Chair for the 2008-09 academic year, the BIG EAST Men's Soccer Committee, the BIG EAST Golf Committee, the BIG EAST Track & Field Committee, and was selected to be a peer reviewer for the NCAA Athletics Certification Program. Clements was also a previous project administrator for the National Youth Sports Program, sponsored by the NCAA and the office of community services. Clements served as the Vice President of programs for the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce.
Clements graduated from Ball State, where he was named an Outstanding Young Alumnus in 1994 and was inducted into the Cardinal Sports Medicine Society Ring of Honor in 2013, and has a master's degree from Kent State. Prior to coming to USF, he was the head athletic trainer at Stebbins High School in Dayton, Ohio. He was also the director of Dick Baumgartner's Basketball Shooting Camps during the early to mid 1980’s, when the camps were the largest in the country. Other previous experience includes athletic trainer positions with the Cleveland Browns, the Orlando All-Star Classic, and the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Clements also worked the Baseball Fantasies Fulfilled Camp in St. Petersburg in 1983 and 1984, where he personally worked with baseball legends Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks, Whitey Ford, and Willie Mays.
Clements is a native of Richmond, Ind. He and his wife, Melissa, reside in Temple Terrace. Their daughter, Nicole, is currently entering her junior year of college.
