BY JAMES YODICE / JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
New Mexico’s most decorated high school coach, and one of its most beloved, is calling it a career.
Hall of Famer Dave Barney, who has led the Abuquerque Academy boys and girls swimming programs to an astonishing 41 state championships in his 47-year career coaching the Chargers in the pool, is retiring at the end of this season, the Journal has learned.
“Numbers are what people like to talk about,” Barney, 89, said Friday. “But they’re numbers. To me, (what’s most important) is the human interaction between a coach and an athlete, and that friendship extends long after kids graduate high school and go on to college. They’re in my heart.”
