Accolades:
Three-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2019, 2024, 2025)
Two-time ECAC Coach of the Year
2024 New England Soccer Journal Division I Coach of the Year
David Barrett begins his ninth season with the Stags and his 26th as a collegiate head coach. Barrett has accumulated 320 wins, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and eight Coach of the Year awards in his career.
Barrett has built the Stags’ program to a perennial Championship contender with three MAAC Regular Season titles and their first MAAC Championship in a decade. Over the past two seasons, the Stags hold the highest winning percentage over the entire Division I landscape with a 33-5-3 overall mark which includes a 20-1-3 record during conference play.
In his Fairfield career, Barrett has guided the Stags to 86 wins, seven MAAC Championship Tournament appearances, three MAAC Regular Season Championships, the 2024 MAAC Title, and the program’s first-ever national ranking by receiving the No. 25 spot by Top Drawer Soccer in 2025.
Under his guidance, the Stags have been honored with 46 All-MAAC selections with 22 named to the All-MAAC First Team. Fairfield has also had several major award honors including: the two-time MAAC Golden Boot winner in Maddy Theriault, two MAAC Defensive Players of the Year, two MAAC Rookie of the Years and the 2025 Golden Glove award winner.
Eleven players have also earned All-Region distinctions; nine student-athletes have recorded All-New England honors; and eight brought home ECAC accolades.
For his success, Barrett has been named the MAAC Coach of the Year three times while also earning the ECAC Coach of the Year and New England Soccer Journal’s Division I Coach of the Year in 2024.
Barrett came to Fairfield after 17 years as the Head Coach at Illinois Wesleyan University achieving significant postseason success during his tenure and earning NCAA tournament bids in eight of his last nine years while recording an overall winning percentage of .712.
Barrett was named the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Central Region Coach of the Year. He was also a finalist for NSCAA Women’s Division III National Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Through Barrett’s guidance, the woman’s soccer program has produced 81 All-CCIW selections, 38 regional selections, seven All-Americans and five Academic All-Americans.
As the Head Coach of Illinois Wesleyan, Barrett’s teams reached the postseason every year since 2002, appearing in the conference tournament finals ten times and the NCAA tournament ten times including eight of the last nine years. His last four seasons for Illinois Wesleyan have been four of the best in school history. Each year the program either won the conference title or finished as the runner-up and was followed by a trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2014, Barrett led the Titans to the NCAA Division III semi-finals finishing with an overall record of 18-7-1 and a final ranking of #4 in the national poll. One year later, his squad broke their own single season wins record with 20 victories, which included a trip to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 and a #9 ranking in the final national poll.
Prior to Illinois Wesleyan, Barrett was an Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach at Yale from 1997-2001. In 1999, the Bulldogs recorded a 13-5-1 season including a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 and finished the season with a #18 ranking in the national poll. In addition to his head coaching duties in Bloomington, Barrett also held the roles of Associate Professor of Physical Education and the Director of Intramurals for the school.
Barrett graduated with honors from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. He was the starting goalkeeper for the Cardinals for over three seasons including 41 straight games in net. In 1991, Wesleyan finished 15-1-1 earning the E.C.A.C. and Little Three Championship finishing the season with a #7 national ranking. Barrett is the current school record holder for career wins and goals against average. Additionally, he received a master’s degree in Psychology from Illinois State University with a concentration in sport and physical activity. David and his wife, Kelly, have a son named Sam and two daughters, Riley and Harper. Kelly’s sister, Jennifer (Totte) Reed graduated from Fairfield in 1989 and her father, Lou Totte is a member of the class of 1963.
