FIGHTING SPIRIT
Coach Barron battles cancer
When Ray Barron left his shoes on the mat, it was perhaps the most bittersweet moment of February’s state wrestling tournament, which saw Columbine capture two individual titles and Barron named the Class 5A coach of the year.
Though that gesture on the final night of the tournament indicated the member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame was officially retiring after 47 years as a coach, Barron’s fight against terminal brain cancer was just beginning.
The 69-year-old began chemotherapy and radiation treatments the day before the state tournament began, Feb. 19, and continued those treatments (chemotherapy daily, and radiation five times weekly) until Tuesday. Now, he remains upbeat, with about a month off before doctors reassess and he undergoes more treatment to attack the three glioblastomas in his brain.
“I haven’t had any major problems with the radiation with my stomach or those sorts of things with the chemotherapy,” Barron said. “I’m able to do normal chores, do stuff around the house. I’m staying happy and positive.”
Barron said the Littleton community, where he lives and has coached for nearly 40 years between his time at Columbine and Heritage, has helped him cope. He was first diagnosed Jan. 17.
“The community has been great,” Barron said. “They’ve called, they’ve written lots of letters, sent lots of messages of support. It seems like everybody’s been on my shoulders, which is pretty neat.”
True to his old-school coaching demeanor, Barron’s favorite recollection from this year’s state tournament wasn’t centered around his own farewell — it was about the titles attained by juniors Jack Forbes and Zach Schraeder. And even though Barron is now retired, that’s not stopping him from seeing things through for his wrestlers.
“I’ll always remember that whole night as a night where two young men accomplished a goal, and that’s the most important thing of all,” Barron said. “Right now, I’m working on sending out letters to college coaches for Jack and Zach. … If they keep progressing, I think they can go Division I.”