Sunday, June 10, 2007

DHS Coach Stewart A Ferguson of SD Sports Hall of Fame

Coach Ferguson is one of the 177 athletes and coaches in the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame that was started in 1968.  Link to SDSHF award


Carl Moser DHS54 sent an interesting 30 page history of "Fergie" as many affectionately called him. Carl wants to share this history with the Classmates and the 2007 Reunion. It is a treatise used for the SD Sports Hall of Fame and written by Don Allen a coach at Central High School in Rapid City.

It is touching and illustrates how he taught many at DHS in both the classroom and in the field of sports. He was extremely polite, quiet, intelligent and caring. He made his classroom subject matter come alive and interesting. If he said it in his quiet voice, it was important.

"Fergie" said about his players, "I want them to say that Coach Ferguson was some sort of a damn fool - - didn't care much whether we won or lost - - but, golly, the good times we had and the things we saw!".

The 1954 Basketball State Championship was the last of his many coaching career high points. Lung cancer finally claimed him 1958. In the Fall of 1954 "Fergie" was ill and had his lung removed. At the homecoming half time he convinced Dr. Smiley to have a ambulance take him to see his beloved Bears play. That field is now Ferguson Football Field (see next post). Those were the days of real football watching!

But golly "Fergie" we miss you with fond memories. Most of us Bears did care about the big win in 1954. It was an extremely good time too! This championship game was the first televised sporting event in South Dakota.

This history with limited personal copies will be available at the 2007 Reunion.

1 comments:

Yvonne said...

I was so pleased to see the feature on Coach Fergie. I had him in the classroom and he was a wonderful teacher. I can to this day recall some of his thoughts on life. You were never bored listening to his quiet voice.He was one of many great teachers we had at DHS.
Yvonne Spaulding Hendrickson '53

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