Hall of Fame
A four-year letterwinner for the Kohawk baseball team, Barrie Ernst was a first-team all-conference pitcher his junior and senior years. He was Coe's "most improved player" as a sophomore. Coe was 23-9 in league play during his four years and won three straight Midwest Conference Iowa Division titles. Due to a conference tournament rainout his senior year, the Kohawks were named co-champions with Monmouth. Barrie's 18 career wins were a school record for three years and currently rank fifth all-time. On the basketball court, Barrie helped the Kohawks to undefeated conference championships his freshman and senior seasons. Although he did not participate in basketball his junior year, Coe made four consecutive NCAA Division III tournament appearances during his four) years as a student-athlete. Coe was 42-2 in league play and 65-7 overall during the three seasons he participated. The Kohawks were ranked first in the nation his senior year, when Barrie alternated between starter and first man off the bench as Coe ran its Eby Fieldhouse winning streak to 42 games. Barrie's love for sports continued long after graduating from Coe. He was MVP and captain of the Cedar Rapids Legion baseball team. He played fast-pitch softball for 13 years after college, winning a state championship in 1976. He won the Elmcrest Country Club golf championship in 1993, beating current PGA Tour professional Zach Johnson who was only 16 at the time! Barrie was also recently inducted into the Washington High School Hall of Fame in recognition for his contributions working the chains at Warrior home football games for 28 years. After 23 years as senior vice president at SCI Financial Group, Barrie now serves as vice president and chief investment officer at United Fire Group. All the while, Barrie has given his time generously to other vital community enterprises, including the United Way, the YMCA and the American Heart Association. He was on the Coe Alumni Council for 10 years, including four years as its president. He was presented with a Distinguished Service Award in 1992 in recognition of his considerable contributions to and on behalf of Coe College. Barrie remains a loyal and generous supporter of Coe athletics and the college as a whole. A Springville native, Barrie and Jane, his wife of 26 years, live in Cedar Rapids. For his outstanding contributions to Kohawk athletics, we are honored to present our father, Barrie Ernst, for induction into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.
