JIM BARRETT COACH YEAR OF INDUCTION: 2011 He’s a smart man, but obviously James B. Barrett can’t grasp the concept of the word “retirement.” Barrett retired in 1990 after a storied career as the swim coach at Steinert High, including the glory years of "JB’s Army" fame. He also retired after 28 years of teaching Graphic Communications and Photography in 1998. He’s still coaching and teaching but now it's the good folks in and around his current hometown of Paint Lick, Kentucky, that benefit from Barrett's strong work ethic. Barrett has led the Berea College swim team to the NAIA championships since taking over the program in 2004. After leading the Spartans' swim program from 1974-90, Barrett "retired" as one of the top four winningest coaches in Mercer County high school history. His winning percentage was well over .700 and the capstone was in 1983 when the SHS boys' team went 16-0 and won the county championship. It was through Barrett's love of the military regimen that JB's Army was formed. "JB was just a character," said star swimmer Chip Hector. "He could get you charged up. He was fun and he certainly motivated us. He had a military presence (Barrett is an Air Force veteran) so it was literally like being in JB's Army. We considered our meets little battles. That was JB." He may have mellowed a little bit, but he's still an early riser – going to an area YMCA to clean the pools, and work as a lifeguard and water-aerobics instructor in the morning before heading over to Berea College, where he teaches more classes and guides the men's and women's swim teams. "I love anything dealing with water," he understates. RETURN TO THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS PAGE