Andrew H. "JACK" Barnacastle, III
The swimming community lost Jack Barnacastle in February of 2022. Jack was a swimmer, a teacher, a coach, a mentor and a friend to many. He has been described as having a modest nature, but also being tough and demanding. Jack grew up swimming for the YMCA in Birmingham. He graduated from Shades Valley High School in 1963 and then attended Florida State University on a swimming scholarship, graduating in 1968. Jack was drafted into the Army in 1969 where he served as an interpreter/interrogator in Vietnam. He received an honorable discharge in 1971, and then went on to complete his master’s degree in secondary education. He was a biology teacher at Homewood High School for twenty-eight years.
Jack Barnacastle formed Birmingham Swim League in 1965 before his military service and was very influential in the swimming community for many years. Jack coached many national level swimmers over the years and developed swimmers into successful adults. His love for coaching was evident in the growth of BSL.
Birmingham Swim League wants to continue the legacy Jack started in 1965 to ensure future generations will know and respect his name and the dream he had for the swimming community.
Jack Barnacastle impacted many lives during his 76 years. He will be missed by many.
Andrew H. (Jack) Barnacastle, III
November 27th, 1945 – February 19th, 2022
"Jack was a man of few words and he ruled with a bit of an iron fist as a coach, but he was also one of the most generous people I ever met. The annual Christmas party he hosted for the ENTIRE team plus their families at his house on Shades Crest Road is the stuff of legends." - Erin Stephenson
"I first met Jack in 1978 when I started coaching at the University of Alabama. I was able to work with and become friends with many of Jack’s swimmers that swam at Alabama. I viewed Jack as a friend but also a mentor for me over the years. When I came back to the south to take over as Head Coach of Birmingham Swim League in 1998, Jack was very helpful in the years I was in Birmingham." - Ben Davis
“I’ll always believe that Jack never got the recognition of other coaches because he wouldn’t toot his own horn. He just wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted to draw a lot of attention to himself.” - Mike Curington
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Please contact Birmingham Swim League (E-Mail) if you would like to contribute to the Jack Barnacastle page.
