Introduction for Karl Webster Barns at the Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony on March 15, 2025

Our next inductee is Karl Barnes, from the class of 1968. Karl came to St. Pius in his senior year when Drexel Catholic High School closed. He was among the first group of African American students at St. Pius.

He was our first African-American football player and member of the “All-Metro Atlanta Honorable Mention football squad of 1967.  As Karl recalls - the 1967 team moniker was “10 in 10” - we chanted this in the Lion’s Den! We played 10 games and only gave up 14 points on defense.

After a difficult start with college, he attended Georgia Tech, where  he was the 15th African-American scholar to graduate in 1973. He was Georgia Tech’s 1st African-American Student Athlete letter winner. As a dual-sport collegiate athlete he also participated in indoor and outdoor track and earned a track scholarship. He was Vice-president of the Georgia Tech African American Association and selected for then Governor Jimmy Carter’s 1st Governors’ Internship Program.

He earned his Masters of Science in Architecture with concentration in City Planning-Historic Preservation at Georgia Tech and then headed to Wharton where he earned his MBA.

While employed with the Georgia Tech Athletic Association under Head Football Coach Pepper Rogers, he assisted in recruiting of Georgia Tech’s first two large African-American Student athlete classes – 12 each in 74 and 75. He continued his involvement with Georgia Tech football under Coaches Billy Curry, Bill Lewis and Bobby Ross.

In his 20 year career with Coca-Cola, he had many assignments including Fountain Sales for the 1984 Olympics and the Million Minority Purchasing program for the 1990 and 1996 Olympics.

Karl has been a Board member for the City of Atlanta since 1988 – a position he holds today. He has served on 8 different Boards including the Office of Zoning Board and Invest Atlanta’s Emerging Market, focusing on revitalizing neighborhoods.

Throughout his career he has mentored countless youth, including those with Youth Entrepreneurial Clubs, KIPP, AmeriCorps VISTA, and almost always with a STEM theme.

Karl describes himself as a corporate business executive, city planner, researcher/writer, and preservationist. He says he is a student of business development, economics, and city planning; however, by avocation and passion, he is a scholar of southern urban historic preservation, urban land-use & zoning, and minority, women, and veteran-owned small business development.  

Georgia Tech recognized him as one of their Trailblazers and now he is a St. Pius X Athletic Hall of Fame member.