Condolences to the family of Fred Barakat(ACC Basketball) who passed away today at age 71

Fred Barakat, the long-time ACC Basketball Supervisor of Officials died today at a local hospital, in Greensboro, from a heart attack. Mr. Barakat was 71 years old. He is survived by daughter Nancy Barakat Vaughn, Greensboro City Councilwomen and by a son Ricky Barakat, a former Greensboro Day School basketball player and others…..

Mr. Baraket went for a knee replacement and suffered the heart attack during the procedure….

Mr. Barkat was a fixture for many years on the college basketball scene and he called/officiated games for many years before taking over his responsibilities as the Assistant Commissoner at the Atlantic Coast Conference offices at Grandover.

Fred Barakat knew the game of college basketball as good as anyone that ever lived and he lived to see that game get better each and every season….

The thoughts and the prayers of the local sports community go out to the family of Fred Barakat…..

The Fred Barakat story from www.wikipedia.org:

Barakat hailed from Union City, New Jersey.

Career
Barkat became the 6th men’s college basketball coach of the Fairfield University Stags in 1970 and is the all-time most successful coach in the school’s history (160-128). He led the Stags to three National Invitation Tournament appearances (1973, 74, 78) including the programs’ first post-season berth as a Division I program in 1973. An 80-76 win over Marshall is the program’s only National Invitation Tournament victory. He also led the team to three E.C.A.C. regionals in 1977, 78 and 80. The Stags 22-5 mark in 1977-78 was a then-school record.

He is a 1951 graduate of Assumption College in Worcester, MA where he was a two-time All-America basketball player for the Greyhounds. He was a territorial draft selection of the New York Knicks (NBA) and also had a baseball try-out with the San Francisco Giants. He played five years in the Eastern Basketball Pro League. He joined the staff of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1981 as Assistant Commissioner and in 2000 received the additional title of Director of Men’s Basketball Operations.

He was inducted into the Assumption Alumni-Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975 and the Fairfield Hall of Fame in 1990. A native of Union City, NJ, he was graduated from Emerson High and was also inducted into Emerson High (1998) and Hudson County (1999) Hall of Fames. Barakat and his wife, Florence, resided in Greensboro, NC, and are the parents of four adult children: Nancy, Christie, Amy, and Rick.

6 thoughts on “Condolences to the family of Fred Barakat(ACC Basketball) who passed away today at age 71

  1. Fred Barakat was loved so dearly by his wife, kids and grandchildren. My heart goes out to the family. What an amazing man. I am so sorry for your loss.
    Angie Wilkie

  2. Ricky Barakat had some great teammates at the Greensboro Day School including Kevin McCoy, Julian London and Alan Hughes…..Monty Bumper may have been there about that same time too…

    Angie Wilkie, a very nice person and one our city’s top RE reps…..

  3. To the Barakat Family:

    With deep sadness, I read in the Hartford Courant this morning, the passing of Coach Barakat.

    I remember “Coach” as a member of the Assumption College basketball team (65-69) and he was an assistant coach. I will always remember his competitive spirit, his friendship with the team, and loyalty to the school and team. I remember playing some pickup games with him at Assumption before practices and learned a lot from him. Being from Connecticut, I also followed his career at Fairfield University.

    As the Irish blessing goes…..May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

    May God bless Coach and his family,

    Tom Malin (Assumption College Class of 1969)

  4. Flo…Know that he had a profound effect on the lives of the people he touched during his many years in athletics…He was my friend…know that you and your family will be in our prayers.

  5. Flo

    I was saddened to read of Fred’s passing in the Worcester Telegram this morning. Freddy was a winner…as a player, as a coach, as a man. I truly enjoyed my friendship with Fred over the years. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

    Bob Fouracre- Broadcaster TV27

  6. Florence…we were shocked and saddened to hear about Freddy’s sudden death…our hearts go out to you and the entire family…he was “the best”…Fred had such a great impact on so many lives…probably the most sincere person that I have ever known…God must have needed help in handling Joe Lane…those two guys were as close as brothers…spoke with Nancy and she is devastated…our thoughts and prayers are with you and the kids…God bless.

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