Chip Hester began duties as Barton’s first head football coach since 1950 in July of 2018, charged with building a program from scratch to begin play in the fall of 2020.
Hester brought to the job more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and NCAA Division II levels, including 11 as a head coach.
The Raleigh native joined the Barton staff after coaching the previous four seasons at North Carolina A&T State University, including the last three as offensive coordinator. The Aggies averaged better than 30 points per game in all three of his seasons guiding the offense, and racked up more than 400 yards per contest in each of the last two years.
The 2017 team ranked 10th nationally among FCS schools in points (35.1 per game) and 24th in total offense (426.8 per game) on its way to a perfect 12-0 record and Celebration Bowl victory over Grambling State University.
During Hester’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Aggies posted a 31-5 record, won two Celebration Bowls and made one FCS Playoff appearance. North Carolina A&T finished both the 2016 and 2017 seasons nationally ranked.
Before joining the staff at North Carolina A&T, Hester spent 18 years coaching at Catawba College. He served as head coach for 11 of those seasons, compiling an overall record of 70-49 (.588). He led the Indians to a first- or second-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference four times, and directed Catawba to three NCAA Division II playoff appearances.
Hester’s 2007 team, which went 11-2, still holds Catawba season records for total points (578), points per game (44.5) and total offense (478 yards per game).
He earned a bachelor’s degree in management with a minor in sport management from Guilford College, and obtained a master’s degree in sport management from Georgia Southern University.
Hester is married to Trish, and has two daughters, Morgan and Tori.
