Joe Barker is the secondary antagonist of Air Bud. He is the former Fernfield Timberwolves basketball coach.
Role in the film
Coach Barker was displeased when Josh Framm successfully passed his tryout for the basketball team and instead makes him the team's equipment manager, which is technically a humiliating role as the team's errand boy. After losing the first game due to Josh's dog Buddy causing a mess, he takes out his frustration by abusing Tom Stewart, one of Josh's teammates and best friend, by trying to make him catch better by pelting him with basketballs. He was caught when Buddy led Josh, Jackie and Principal Pepper discover Barker's abuse of Tom. Barker was subsequently fired and replaced by the school's kind-hearted engineer, Arthur Chaney. He is never seen for the rest of the film.
