Copy of story from Minot Daily News (link)

Barnhill ‘chasing a dream'

By MICHAEL LINNELL, Sports Editor mlinnell@minotdailynews.com

Minot State University head football coach candidate Robert Barnhill meets with members of the press Thursday at the Christensen Room at the MSU Dome. Barnhill was the last of four prospective coaches the university has interviewed for vacant head coach position. Michael Linnell/MDN

For Robert Barnhill, being a head coach would be a dream come true.

“I am chasing a dream,” said Barnhill, one of four candidates for the vacant Minot State University head football coaching job. “This a very positive situation to be coming into. Minot State is in the top tier of their conference and those jobs don't come open very often.”

Barnhill spent nearly 20 minutes with the media Thursday as a part of his on-campus interview. Barnhill is the fourth of four candidates interviewed by the school. The position came open when then-head coach Mike Sivertson resigned.

Barnhill is in his eighth year as the athletic director and offensive coordinator at Concordia University in Wisconsin. Barnhill has used a blend of rushing and passing at Concordia and plans to work with what he has if selected as head coach at MSU.

“I have found that is small-college football, you can't be wed to one style or another,” he said. “You have to be able to make changes and work with the talent you recruit. We have been a very run-orientated team lately, but try to be balanced. Last year, we rushed for 22 touchdowns and threw for 22. That's balance.”

The Concordia program has been very successful under Barnhill's tutelage, going 10-1 last season. The team averaged 32 points per game and was ranked in the top 10 in total yards much of the season.

Barnhill, who was raised in rural North Carolina, said that Minot “felt like home.” He understands the pitfalls that come with Minot's remote geography and believes he has a plan to combat that shortcoming.

“Minot State is in a rural situation, but you have to develop a sales strategy to get top-quality players,” he said. “You have to sell the positives and deal with the negatives. But first and foremost, you have to be honest about the negatives.”

One positive is the school and community's commitment to athletics. Barnhill said he was pleasantly surprised with MSU's facilities and the administration's support of the athletic department.

“If you look at the possible new stadium plan and the (NCAA Division II) talk, you can tell the university's support,” he said. “I believe the move to Division II is a positive and a negative. The positive is there is a much-larger pool in the NCAA. The negative is that you are at the top now, but in a conference like the Northern Sun, you are swimming in the deep end right away.”

With all of those factors, Barnhill believes that MSU can win championships.

“I believe it so strongly,” he said. “That's why I am here.”