Sports
Former Fairfield Basketball Coach Barakat Passes Away
Barakat led the Stags to three NIT berths in the 1970s
Former Fairfield University basketball coach Fred Barakat, who transformed the Stags into an eastern powerhouse in the 1970s, passed away Monday at the age of 71.
According to several media outlets, Barakat died of a heart attack in Greensboro, North Carolina.
In 11 seasons, Barakat guided Fairfield to a 160-128 record and three berths in the National Invitation Tournament at a time when that tournament still meant something, especially for a small school like Fairfield.
Find out what's happening in Fairfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
He resigned following the 1980-81 season and went to work for the Atlantic Coast Conference, where he became the league's supervisor of officials, an ironic career twist. He retired in 2007 as the ACC's associate commissioner.
In 1973, Barakat coached Fairfield to an 80-76 victory over Marshall in the first round of the NIT before more than 13,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.
