Edward S. McGlone, known fondly as “Big Ed” is often regarded as the greatest football player to ever represent the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, and was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame posthumously in 1977.
As a power runner on offense and a standout on defense, he received national attention in his 1922 senior season when he was named to Walter Camp’s second All-American team, the first to be so honored in the Rocky Mountain region. This culminated a football career, which saw him named three straight years to the Rocky Mountain Conference first team.
McGlone was reared and educated in Denver and entered S.A.T.C. at Greeley Teacher’s College during World War I. There he played football under Ralph Glaze, a disciple of the famous Glen “Pop” Warner. After the war, Glaze moved to Mines as football coach and took McGlone and several others with him.
While best known for his football skills, “Big Ed” was also all-conference in baseball for three years and basketball for one year. He turned down a professional baseball offer after batting .550 his senior year. As a result of his gridiron feats, he was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
“Big Ed” was one of five brothers who made the McGlone name a byword in Denver sports for two decades.
