It often comes as a surprise to Ferguson graduates of the late 1950s and 1960s to learn that their school once had a football team. Actually, Ferguson was quite a football power from the beginning until World War II. It was the first school in the county to field a football team, and after Somerset began playing, they were the only county schools with teams until the 1970s. Many boys transferred into Ferguson from Burnside, Nancy, Shopville and Eubank just so they could play football and try to win college scholarships, and some of those transfers also helped the basketball and baseball teams. During a bitter cold 1945 November game, several boys contracted frostbite, and one lost two fingers. The boys' families sued the school, and as part of the settlement the judge ordered the football program dismantled. The final set of jerseys remained in storage until 1968, when Principal Bob Overbey ordered them discarded.

This is Ferguson's varsity football team of 1929. Their home field (and practice field) was between the school and the road. There were no bleachers. There were 16 boys on the team. They played an eight game schedule, finished 6-2, and won the regional championship.

Ferguson players pose after winning the district title at the Somerset High School gym in March 1929, beating Somerset 44-40 in the finals. Both the district winner and runnerup went on to regionals, where there was a blind draw for seedings. In the first game of the region, Somerset and Ferguson drew each other again. Ferguson won 40-38. But in the regional semifinals, Stanford beat Ferguson 43-39. The Warhorses finished the year 19-4.

Backboards were wood, and the foul lane was only half as wide as it is now. After each team scored, a jump ball was held at center court to determine possession.

Four members of this team played college ball at Centre College, Eastern State Normal College, Kentucky Wesleyan (then located in Winchester), and Western State Normal College. A fifth, Jackie Meece, entered Kentucky University in Lexington and tried out for the team under its new coach from Illinois---Adolph Rupp. He qualified for the team, but in December separated a shoulder and never played again. This was the first Ferguson team to play in the new gym. This was also the first year for Ferguson to host the district tournament.

The five varsity starters pose before the first home game of the 1959-60 season. L to R Glen Richardson, D.R. Wheeler, Carl Yahnig, Joe Frank Minton and Jimmy Young.

This team suffered through a terrible year but these players would go on to become the last great varsity team in Ferguson history. For three years the Ferguson varsity had losing seasons while these kids came up through the lower grades. During the 1959-60 season they were still too young but were pulled up to the varsity anyway. In December they would lose so badly their coach would be replaced on New Year's Day. This could have been a disaster, but the new coach as of January was a 23 year old kid fresh out of college who had coached one year at Burnside. He was Herb Childers. The team began to win a few games in January and February but still finished below .500. However, Childers was installing his system. As sophomores these players would win more than half their games and as juniors and seniors they would dominate the county and the region.

The 1960-61 Ferguson Warhorses. L to R, front row: Eldridge LaFavors, Charles Norfleet, Joe Wheeler, Howard Hunt, Sammy Bell, Jerry Wallace. Back row : Coach Herb Childers, Larry Stephens, Carl Yahnig, Gerald Nicholas, Donnie Cowan, Michael Simpson, James Hughes.

November 1960 was the beginning of Ferguson's last great basketball golden era. The Warhorses won three straight district titles and were stopped barely short of the State Tournament both years. This 60-61 team finished 16-6 but five of their losses were in November and December as they worked on timing and shooting. In January and February they went undefeated. They upset Somerset to win the District but lost to Stanford in the 12th Region semifinals.

From row, l to r : Bert Minton, xxx, Bobby Cundiff, Howard Hunt, Joe Wheeler, Kerry Cowan, Melvin Cox. Back row: Asst Coach Bob Overby, Jerry Wallace, Carl Minton, Eldridge LaFavors, Mike Simpson, Gerald Nicholas, Donnie Cowan, Larry Stephens and Coach Herb Childers.

This 1961-62 team went 26-7, lost only one game in the county, never lost at home, was twice ranked first in the 12th Region, and was ranked in the state's top 25 all year. They won by scores like 79-48 over Stanford, 74-34 over Burnside, 83-42 over Shopville and 72-48 over Buckeye. Only a 51-49 loss to Danville in the regional finals kept Ferguson from a trip to Memorial Coliseum.

Singling out one coach during a school's 58 year sports history is difficult, but the best coach Ferguson ever had may well have been Herb Childers. He had played at Eastern Kentucky State College and begun his coaching career at Burnside. Moving to Ferguson at midseason of the 1959-60 season, Childers coached the Warhorses for three full years. The first of those they won 16 games. The next two they went 26-7 and 28-8, won the district title twice, were ranked in the state's top 25 every week, were ranked number one in the region several times, lost only two games in two years to any team in Pulaski County, and averaged over 70 points a game. Most of those players went on to play in college and several chose coaching as a career. He achieved all of this at a school that was losing enrollment and was down to just 110 students.

Childers left Ferguson in June 1963 to coach at Pendleton County. He became the first coach at the new Mason County High School. In 1968 he accepted a coaching position in Delaware, and he would eventually move into administration as a middle school, then high school principal. Childers was named Delaware Educator of the Year in 1990. At his acceptance speech at Dover, Delaware, he told the audience that of all the great players and students he had been privileged to work with over the decades, the best basketball teams he ever had were his three championship teams back in Ferguson, Kentucky.

He retired in 2000 and died in 2006.

This is the 1962-63 Ferguson JV team, coached by Bernard Tichenor. Kneeling from left are Paul Stephens, Terry Goff, xx Hunt, Dan Gibson, xx Burton and Bert Young. Standing from left are Kay Casada, Bobby Cundiff, Autry Stephens, Kerry Cowan, Donnie Cox, Gary "Chucky" Wallace and Coach Tichenor. This team won 22 games and gave fans every reason to expect Ferguson's success to continue as long as Childers remained.

We need first names for Hunt, Burton and Cox.

Coach Herb Childers' final Ferguson team is shown here at the beginning of the 1962-63 season. That's Assistant Coach Bernard Tichenor (left) kneeling with Childers in front. Players from left are Kay Casada, Bobby Cundiff, Gary "Chucky" Wallace, Eldridge LaFavers, Autry Stephens, Carl Minton, Mike Simpson, Larry Stephens, Kerry Cowan, D. Cox, xxx Whitis and xxx. Childers left after this season to become head coach at the newly consolidated Pendleton County High School in Falmouth in the 10th Region.

We need first names on Whitis and Cox and the name of #12

The 1962-63 Ferguson Warhorses finished 26-7 and won a third straight district title, beating Somerset 47-45 in the finals. They won by scores like 85-24 over Mackville, 74-40 over Eubank, 69-29 over Danville Bate, 77-36 over Burnside and 67-35 over Pulaski. A heartbreaking loss to Somerset in the 12th Region kept Ferguson from the State Tournament.

Eldridge LaFavors (left) was the playmaking guard and Dorinda Johnson (right) was cheerleading captain. Both were seniors. Dorinda was named to the All 12th Region Cheerleading Team and as the girl receiving the most votes, was named Captain.

The 1965-66 Ferguson JV team, from left, Coach David Cowan, David Phillips, Mike Richardson, Larry Duncan, Jerry Peters, Donnie Gibson, Don Minton, John Gallagher, Jackie Linville, Jimmy Flynn and Eddie Bill Ping.

The top seven players on the varsity (below) would graduate, and the only two players over 6-0 on this JV team did not play their senior seasons. That left an entire team with the tallest player at 5-11 for the 1966-67 year and only six players in the upper three grades.

The 1965-66 Ferguson Varsity. Kneeling from left : Cecil Phelps, Mike Richardson, Coach David Cowan, Jackie Linville and Larry Duncan. Standing from left Jerry Peters, Paul Stephens, Harry Cummins, Malcolm Luttrell, Richard Dykes, Donnie Gibson, Bobby Cundiff and Don Minton.

This team was famous but disappointing. It was the tallest basketball team in Kentucky, high school or college. Western Kentucky University reached the regional finals before losing a one point game to Michigan, and the University of Kentucky reached the national championship game before losing to Texas Western, and position by position this team was taller than either of them. But Ferguson frustrated its fans with a 16-15 finish and did not even make the district finals. At the conclusion of the season David Cowan retired from coaching and accepted a job teaching Physical Education at Pulaski County High School.

Vernon Norris, left, and Billy Brewster, right, pose with teacher Elaine Thornton Holder in December 1966. Billy was the center and Vernon a hot shooting guard on the greatest seventh grade team in Ferguson's 58 year history. Their team rolled undefeated through the entire season, averaged over 70 points per game, scored in the 80s five times, won the 47th district and 12th region championships, was ranked number one in the state from January 1 on, and did not lose until the state finals before 9000 fans in Diddle Arena. Vernon was sick and without his 20 points per game and defensive skills on the team's 1-2-1-1 full court press, Ferguson lost 41-29. The other starters on that seventh grade team were Gene Burton, Larry Burton, and Eddie Tucker. Dennis Whitaker, Ronnie Vaughan, Gerry Holsombach, Jimmy Denney and Doug Strunk were reserves who, because of the team's fast breaking and full court pressing style, played about as many minutes per game as the starters. Earl Ruby of the Louisville Courier Journal, who covered junior and senior high tournaments for 48 seasons, wrote that it was the greatest seventh grade team ever seen in Kentucky. Unfortunately, none of these boys ever played a minute for Ferguson High School. When the school closed, they scattered to other high schools.

These were the eighth grade cheerleaders during the championship 1966-67 season. They cheered for the team at all eighth grade and ninth grade games but when the eighth graders had to stand in as the high school's junior varsity, the regular JV cheerleaders cheered. These girls were taken on the team bus to all away games. Top to bottom are Debbie Sadler, Rhonda Beckman and Patty Hudson.

These girls were the end of an era : half a century in which truly talented girl athletes spent their time cheering for the boys rather than playing on their own girls sports teams. Shortly after this season, thanks to Federal Title 9, schools were all required to offer girls basketball, volleyball and softball teams. And while some girls still chose to cheer, the best of them spent their weekends travelling to cheering tournaments rather than cheering for their school's boys' teams. Today, many girls in cheerleading have academic eligibility problems, but all five of these girls were honor students.

At right, Coach Dan Omlor accepts the 7th Grade Region Championship trophy after Ferguson beat Somerset 66-56 at the Somerset Gym. Both teams had come into the game 12-0 and it was a sellout, the largest crowd ever to see a 7th grade game in Pulaski County.

The 1966-67 Ferguson Varsity Cheerleaders. These girls deserved a lot of credit. It being common knowledge the school was closing, players were already transferring out to other schools, and the varsity struggled. With crowds dwindling and interest waning, these six cheerleaders worked doubly hard to keep enthusiasm high. They were the final keepers of a proud 40 year tradition. From left are Sylvia Hamm, Nellie Goff, Barbara Flynn, Sonia Keith, Brenda New and Margaret Tucker. Nellie would marry Mike Richardson, pictured below. Barbara would become an important political figure. Margaret would become a nurse.

The 1950-51 Ferguson Varsity. Cheerleaders from left : Jenny Minton, Carol Hodge, Ann Weddle and Beulah Marcum.

2nd row : Superintendant Tate Richardson, Herschel Cassada, Joe Ed Richardson, Charles Sexton, Ray Stein, Eugene Huddleston, and Head Coach Fenamore Gover.

3rd row : Jimmy Evans, Donnie Haney, Jack Richardson, Dean Chitwood and Robert Brown.