Millennium Magazine_5th Ed

258 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine D arrin Barner is a renowned rugby coach, but was first a star football player for his college team, the Wayne State Wildcats, where he played from 1985 to 1988. After playing college football, Mr. Barner came to the conclusion that he would never play a contact sport again; however, he was then introduced to rugby. At the age of 23, he quickly fell in love with rugby and decided to be a coach. Mr. Barner has been the staff head coach and club founder of the Wayne State College Rugby Team since 2002. Mr. Barner has United States coaching endorsements in Level 1, Level 2, Introduction to Rugby, Coaching Development, Coaching Development Skills, Rugby Lineout Course, Rugby NCAA Intuitive Workshop and is a Registered Referee. Prior to coaching at Wayne State, Mr. Barner was captain of the Fort Worth Old Boys and played for the Storm Lake Iowa Albatross from 1989 to 1994. Mr. Barner also played for the Fort Worth, Texas, RFC from 1994 to 2002. They were a top 20 team in the United States from 1996 to 2001, winning several Western USA Territorial DARRIN BARNER HEAD COACH Wayne State College Rugby Laurel, NE HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE Championships and Sweet 16 seeds. For his impressive years as a rugby player and coach, Mr. Barnes was awarded the Premiership Rugby Scholarship in 2019 and was named USA Rugby Coach of the Year in 2017. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Highest Citizenship Award from the Admiral of the Nebraska Navy and Governor Pete Rickets, and in 2016, he was honored for Program Development of the Year in North America. Growing up, Mr. Barner had encouraging and inspiring coaches in school to whom he attributes his success today. He hopes he can inspire his rugby players to be the best players they can be, and to pass on the lessons they have learned to future rugby players. Mr. Barner’s love for rugby has even taken him overseas, as he has taken in international games in both hemispheres and some World Cup games in England and Wales when they hosted the World Cup in 1999.