When Barry Fried was hired as an assistant men’s basketball coach for the Viterbo V-Hawks in 1994, he never thought he’d still be at university 31 years later. He had planned to get a few years of coaching experience at the college level and then climb the ladder to a larger school.

More than three decades later, four Athletic Director of the Year Awards, and tremendous growth and success in the athletics department, Fried is very happy he stayed at Viterbo.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but Viterbo was the perfect fit for me,” said Fried, who has served as Viterbo’s director of athletics since 1999. “It allowed me to turn my passion of sports into a career and do it a place that feels like family. The longer I stayed, the more I realized that it’s not about the level you’re at, it’s about the right fit and helping our students-athletes accomplish their goals and become better people. Big picture, that’s what’s important.”

Originally wanting to coach, but not to become a physical education teacher, Fried earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a minor in coaching from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

“That business degree has really helped with the administrative side of my job, such as planning, marketing, budgeting, and communicating,” said Fried, who also earned a Master of Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. “And I’ve coached kids at every level—college, high school, and youth—so I feel like that has helped me relate to some of the challenges our Viterbo coaches face.”

There were seven athletics programs at Viterbo in 1999. There are 17 today. It’s that growth Fried considers one of his greatest accomplishments.

“I’m proud I’ve stayed the course because it wasn’t always easy,” said Fried citing regular 60-hour weeks with the events and administrative work that comes with job. “But it’s been a labor of love.”