Barakat brought dedication, patience to ACC

Fred Barakat died Monday of a heart attack in Greensboro, and if you’ve followed the ACC for years, you have a sense of who he was and what he meant to the conference.

Barakat, 71, had two critical roles for the ACC as associate commissioner, overseeing officials and managing the league’s men’s basketball tournament. He worked more behind the scenes but loved his work and was always available and willing to answer a reporter’s question.

I remember calling him one night at 11 p.m. on a hot story. I thought, “Gosh, he’s going to blow me out for calling this late.” Instead, he patiently and respectfully answered my questions, and when I said I was sorry to call so late and wouldn’t except in extraordinary circumstances, he said no, that was fine, he understood.

Managing officials was a bit of a thankless job. While Barakat could be overly loyal to showy officials like Dick Paparo, you have to admit the ACC was blessed with strong officiating overall in his tenure.

He was tremendous at managing the ACC’s showcase event, the men’s basketball tournament. Barakat was always on the floor, walkie-talkie in hand, making sure all was running smoothly. Yet he always had time to answer a question. I can remember many times stopping to ask him something while his walkie-talkie squawked in the background.

Covering the ACC is different than covering many sports leagues. It has more of a community feel, and people in the league office treat reporters and fans with respect. Barakat was a major part of that, a high-level, high energy executive who had time to listen and laugh. He’ll be missed.