"Ed Barrows was the best halfback I ever coached," said the legendary Moray Eby. This accolade more than any other properly measures Edward P. Barrows' stature as an athlete at Coe College. He won all-conference football honors three times and all-state mention twice. He was a particular nemesis for traditional rival Cornell. In the 1928 Coe win over Cornell, Colonel Barrows ran for 250 yards in an era when three yards and a cloud of dust were the conventional offense. In the 1929 shut out over Cornell, he returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score, a deed that will be remembered at both schools as long as football is a topic of conversation.

Ed Barrows was a record-setting performer in track also, holding Coe records in the broad jump and mile relay. After graduation he coached in Iowa and Minnesota high schools and earned a law degree in 1938.

Commissioned through the Coe ROTC program in 1929, Colonel Barrows served 40 years as an Army officer, 27 of them on active duty in infantry, armor, and in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, including duty as deputy state director and legal officer for Selective Service in Minnesota. On the gridiron his legal training served him well as a Big Ten referee for seven years. He has served Coe as president of the Alumni Association. In 1971 Coe College awarded him its prestigious Alumni Award of Merit.