Peter Barros’ family moved out to Long Island, and into the Harborfields school district, at the beginning of the eighth grade. That was when he received his first experience with “real” wrestling. At that time, a couple of newly made friends said they were going to wrestle and asked him if he wanted to give it a try. Having no experience in the sport of wrestling, he found it difficult, and at times frustrating; however, he greatly enjoyed it 

In high school, his newly hired head coach happened to be a Mepham graduate named George Creason, who was wrestling internationally at the age of 17. Coach Creason would show a move once, then assistant coach, and fellow HOF inductee, John Szokoli, would come to their smaller wrestling groups and break down the moves. By the time his senior year came around, he had improved his wrestling skills and enjoyed the camaraderie of his teammates, learning new skills, and going to competitions.  

After graduating from high school, Peter wrestled at C.W. Post and then transferred onto Springfield College in Massachusetts. At Springfield, he was fortunate to be coached by head coach Doug Parker, assistant Jim Anderson, and graduate assistant Paul BrodmerkeI. Thanks to these three men, he learned a tremendous amount about wrestling technique, “hard work” and he learned a lot about himself. Because of the transfer from C.W. Post, Peter was ineligible to compete in any type of intercollegiate matches for one year. Still, he attended practice on a regular basis, went to away matches, and did everything a member of the team would do, but he never wrestled in an interscholastic match or exhibition match. However, during his time at Springfield, and for a year or two after graduation, he did wrestle in freestyle and Greco-Roman tournaments. The benefit he gained was not in terms of wins and losses, but in the valuable lessons he learned from teammates and competitors alike, which he would take with him and use in coaching and officiating wrestling over the next 60 years. There was no question in his mind that the benefits of working hard in practice and learning to deal with adversity, have been a mainstay in his coaching career. 

Peter graduated Cum Laude from Springfield College, and was hired as an elementary school physical education teacher in the Half Hollow Hills school district. Soon after, he teamed back up with his high school coach, John Szokoli, when he accepted an opening for the Junior Varsity wrestling coaching position at Harborfields HS. They were together for the next eleven seasons. It was an enjoyable time for Peter, going to practice each day to work with John and all the wrestlers at Harborfields, and they were fortunate to have so many firsts: First league dual meet title, first league tournament title, both of which were added on to in following years. They had the school's first Century Club Winner, and the only two County Champions and State Place finishers to date. But what he remembers most about these wrestlers is how intense, hard-working, respectful, and committed they were. It is too many to name, but many of them he still calls friends to this day. 

By 1984, Peter teamed up with Head wrestling coach Joe Goonan as his Assistant coach, and the two would coach together over the next ten years. During that time, Joe, Milt Schock and Peter guided various teams and wrestlers to the school’s first league tournament title, the school’s first county champion and state place finisher and the school’s first Century Club Winner. It was gratifying to be able to work with wrestlers that were intelligent and hard workers.

From there, Peter spent three years as Head Coach at Walt Whitman HS, coaching a group of hard-nosed tough wrestlers, before returning to Hills West for the next three seasons. At that point, Peter decided to make a major shift in his wrestling career and become a wrestling official. It was a decision he wished he would have taken advantage of a little earlier in his coaching career, because as a member of both the Nassau and Suffolk Officials Associations, he has met so many exceptional people that wear the stripes. Working in the sectional tournaments in both counties is something he will always remember and is thankful for the insight it has given him. He still officiates to this day.

Still, Peter’s coaching days were not over yet. When Mike Murtha took over as Head Coach at Syosset HS, he asked Peter to be his Assistant Coach. Mike, with Peter at his side, guided many talented wrestlers to their next level. Next stop for Peter was to team up with fellow HOF Inductee, Brian DeGaetano, where Peter is currently his Asst. Coach at Bellmore-JFK. Once again, Peter has been fortunate enough to assist a brilliant coach with a great technique in reaching young wrestlers to build both their wrestling and character skills.   

Peter Barros has been involved with the sport of wrestling as a wrestler, official and coach for 59 CONSECUTIVE years, and as a coach or official for 51 consecutive years. That is a lot of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter Recess and Valentine’s Day Vacations missed. Peter would like to thank his wife, Renee, for her constant understanding about how much time it takes for one to dedicate their life to wrestling, as he has always strived to reach his wrestlers in a positive way. Realistically, Peter estimates that between teaching Physical Education and Health, and coaching wrestling, lacrosse, football, and cross-country, he has touched approximately 21,000 students. That is a legacy that most wrestlers would be proud of!