Lunch with Rick Barnes, Head Coach of The University of Tennessee Men's Basketball

Join us for a special luncheon with Coach Rick Barnes! The Legacy Centre is very honored and excited to host Rick Barnes as our special guest speaker on Thursday, October 16, at Chesapeake's. 

With Rick Barnes, acclaimed as one of the best coaches in SEC history and the most accomplished in Tennessee’s history, at the helm of The University of Tennessee Men’s Basketball program, Rocky Top has been flying high for the last 10 seasons and projected to climb even further. Final Four, here we come!

One glance at the stats, and it’s obvious we’re “in our Barnes era” as the kids say these days!

39 seasons as a head coach
836 wins overall
27-win average for Vols’ past four seasons
7 straight NCAA Tournaments
Multiple SEC titles
Four Sweet 16s
Two Elite Eights
Consistent top 10 national rankings

But for Barnes, now at the pinnacle of his career, it’s about far more than wins and losses. It’s about his faith and the impact he wants to make on his players, family, and community. And that’s why we adore him so!

On October 16, Coach Barnes will speak about what it’s all about for him, the turning point in his faith journey, and the impact of his faith on his leadership. Come join us and learn from the best! 

Limited seating. Reserve your seat today! Your RSVP is kindly requested by October 13th to reserve your seat and meal as space permits.

Note: This is an in-person event with a lunch buffet. To help us reserve the appropriate number of seats and food, please ensure your reservation is firm. As a reminder, there is a $50 guest registration fee for non-members who have attended our events more than twice.

Meet Our Speaker: Rick Barnes

Tennessee’s fortunes on the hardwood have never looked brighter, as Rick Barnes, the most decorated and accomplished head coach in school history, has led the Volunteers to new heights in his 10 seasons on Rocky Top. The 2025-26 campaign is his 11th at Tennessee and his 39th as a head coach.
 
During the Barnes era, Tennessee has made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2018-25), won at least 25 games six times and earned a top-four NCAA Tournament seed on six occasions. It has made four Sweet 16 appearances and two Elite Eight trips. The Volunteers have spent 134 weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 under Barnes, including 76 in the top 10, 38 in the top five—the program had 17 total top-five nods before his arrival—and nine atop the national poll.
 
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Tennessee leads all SEC programs in postseason victories (23), plus sits a narrow second in overall winning percentage (.731) and overall victories (201), with the latter mark seventh-best at the Division I level. The Volunteers are also first in the league in victories (98) and winning percentage (.685) in league play. During that time, the Volunteers have three SEC titles, winning the regular season in 2017-18 and 2023-24, along with the SEC Tournament in 2022, the latter the program’s first such crown in 43 years. Over just the last four seasons, 2021-25, Tennessee is eighth nationally and atop the SEC with 109 victories, the best four-year total in program history.
 
Barnes is an eight-time NABC district coach of the year and six-time conference coach of the year. Through 2024-25, he is ninth on the all-time Division I wins list, including first among active coaches, with 836 victories. He earned Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame first-time nominee status on the 2024 ballot and was again listed in 2025. Mark Few is the only other active head coach on the list nominated as a coach.
 
In 2018-19, Barnes won Naismith Coach of the Year and USBWA Henry Iba Coach of the Year after guiding Tennessee to a 31-6 record to tie a school record for wins. The Volunteers, who reached the Sweet 16, authored a program-record 19-game winning streak, logged three wins over top-five opponents and spent a month ranked first nationally. Tennessee spent that entire season in the AP top eight and set single-season program records for points, assists and blocks.
 
The Volunteers have spent the entirety of the last four seasons, 2021-25, ranked in the AP Top 25. That streak of 80 straight weeks in the rankings is the third-longest active mark in the country entering 2025-26 and is 43 longer than the program’s prior record of 37 set from March 1999-Feb. 2001. The stretch includes 75 weeks in the top 20, 63 in the top 15, 50 in the top 10, 24 in the top five, seven in the top three and five at No. 1 overall.
 
Adding the 2020-21 season, Tennessee has been ranked in 94 of the last 97 polls, with 56 top-10 positions. Over that five-year stretch, Tennessee, Alabama, Houston and Kansas are the only four programs to enter the AP top six each season. The Volunteers and Jayhawks are also the only teams to earn a top-five spot in each of the last four campaigns.
 
The marriage of Barnes’ elite résumé and Tennessee’s world-class facilities, fervent fan base and outstanding athletic and academic resources, clearly has the Vols poised to continue consistently competing for titles. On Aug. 28, 2025, Barnes agreed to a lifetime contract to remain on Rocky Top for the remainder of his esteemed coaching career.

“Rick has taken our program to unprecedented heights, and we are absolutely thrilled to have him continue coaching on Rocky Top for the rest of his career,” Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said upon announcing the new contract. “He has constructed this program the right way, achieving elite-level success on the court while also ensuring that all our players excel off the court.”
 
Read more about Barnes' early days and career success...

Barnes has a history of generous charitable giving and service not only in his hometown, but also in every community in which he has resided as a collegiate head coach. In East Tennessee, he plays an active role in supporting the Emerald Youth Foundation and sits on the Board of Trustees.
 
He and his wife, Candy have a son, Nick, and a daughter, Carley. Carley and her husband, Josh Lickteig, have five children: Avery, Caleb, Emma, Isla and Theo. Nick and his wife, Rachel, have two sons, Elder and Everett. 

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Coffee, lunch buffet, and TLC served.