Hinsdale South names Barry as coach

Updated: March 24, 2011 3:04PM

Hinsdale South has named Mike Barry as its new football coach.

Barry was the head football coach for Evergreen Park last season. He takes over for Alex Bitto, who resigned after the 2010 season.

Barry will capture the attention of his Hornets' players with his no-huddle, high-octane shotgun offense made popular last fall by the University of Oregon.

"It's a whirlwind offense, for sure, but I think our kids are really going to like it," Barry said. "We can change plays off it in a hurry. Even practice will be fast. We'll be covering every situation at full speed. We'll even keep score."

Barry fell in love with the offense through Appalachian State.

"I've tweaked it a bit since," he said.

Barry didn't play offense in high school or college. He was an all-league linebacker at Kent State in the Mid-American Conference.

Further, he won the MAC's Jack Lambert Award for linebacker excellence.

"Lambert came to one of our K-State practices after his great career with the Pittsburgh Steelers," Barry said. "He taped his ankles and wrists, took out his teeth and got down in the dirt with us. It was great fun."

Barry starred at Downers Grove North (Class of 1992) as a hybrid

linebacker-pass rusher.

"We came in second in State, but I don't remember who beat us," Barry said, laughing.

The 36-year-old South coach will teach social studies. He and wife Courtney have a year-old son named Jack.

Barry began his career at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Fla. as an assistant head football coach and defensive coordinator. He also served as head football coach and defensive coordinator at Barron Collier High School in Naples, where his teams made four playoff appearances and won two district championships.

Barry then returned to the Chicago area in 2008, where he has served as a social studies teacher, assistant track coach, and

head football coach at Evergreen Park High School for the past three years.

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