Keith Barefield begins his second season at the helm of the Northwestern Oklahoma State University football team. During his inaugural season of 2007, Barefield led the Rangers to an 8-4 overall record and to an undefeated 4-0 record in the Central States Football League.

After a two year absence from being crowned the Central States Football League Champions, in just his first season, Barefield guided the Rangers to their sixth CSFL title.

During 2007, he turned out 22 players that filled 25 spots on the All-CSFL conference teams. In addition to being named CSFL Coach of the Year, he produced the CSFL Offensive Player of the Year in running back Thez Robinson and had the CSFL Special Teams Player of the Year in kicker/punter Aaron Vermillion.

Barefield is a veteran coach who has built successful programs at three different levels of competition.

A native of Eufaula, Ala., Barefield came to Northwestern from Victoria Memorial High School in Victoria, Texas, where he served as an assistant coach in charge of quarterbacks and receivers.

His greatest success came during a 19-year tenure at NAIA power Evangel University in Springfield, Mo. Barefield served as an assistant there for nine years before becoming head coach in 1988. The winningest coach at Evangel with a record of 66-33-2, Barefield recorded eight consecutive winning seasons and made four trips to the NAIA playoffs.

Barefield was the winningest coach at any level in the state of Missouri during the 1990’s. His teams were nationally ranked at some part of the year during each season he was head coach.

During his tenure as a collegiate coach, Barefield has coached 15 All-Americans and 10 Academic All-Americans. He served as the President of the NAIA Football Coaches

Association in 1996 and was named as the 1996 and 1997 Heart of America Coach of the Year.

A 1978 graduate of Evangel, Barefield has the distinction of starting at fullback on the Crusader’s first football team (1977). He held the rushing record for most yards per carry in a game (10.8) for 16 years.

After graduating, Barefield worked for two years at Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian High School as the athletic director and as a Bible teacher. He returned to Evangel in 1980 as a graduate assistant and was hired full-time in 1981. From 1980 to 1988 Barefield handled the offensive coordinator position and was the offensive backfield coach. In addition, he was the assistant head coach in 1982. Barefield earned his master’s degree in 1983 from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Mo.

After his tenure at Evangel, Barefield spent a year and a half as a financial consultant before heading back into the coaching ranks.

Barefield was the head football coach and athletic director at Cornerstone High School in San Antonio, Texas from 2001-2003. While there, he was crowned the Texas State Champions in 2001 and 2003 and made the state playoffs all three years. While at Cornerstone, he produced a 29-7 overall record.

Beginning in 2001, Barefield ventured into professional football, where he was a regional scout for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League until 2007.

Barefield was the head coach and director of football operations for the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings of Arena Football 2 from 2003-2005.

Barefield resides in Alva with his wife Lisa. They have four children: Billy (21), Leslie (20), Keith Jr. (19) and Bryan (22).