Coach Earl Ferguson
- Ken Bott
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Earl “Ferg” Ferguson coached Box Elder football, track, and basketball from 1921-1960. He was known as the “Dean of High School Coaches” and his football teams won 6 state titles in 1926, 1928, 1935, 1945, 1946, and 1957 while amassing a record of 213 wins and 39 losses (averaging one loss per year during his tenure.) His 213 wins at Box Elder was a UHSAA record that stood for 29 years and still ranks him 5th all time for same school wins and 7th overall for the state of Utah. This was accomplished during seasons with fewer games than are currently played. His teams won the region title 19 times. From 1933 to 1936, Box Elder set a state record of four consecutive undefeated, untied regular seasons. The year following Coach Ferguson’s retirement, Coach Les Dunn led Box Elder to another state title in 1960.
In 1950, Coach Ferguson was named “National High School Coach of the Year.” His tenure at Box Elder was the longest in the history of Utah High School Coaching. In 1973, Ferg was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame for Distinguished High School Coaches. One newspaper article noted, “His thorough coaching techniques were administered with a quiet sternness which installed confidence into athletes. He was a stickler for fundamentals, clean, hard performance, rigid training, and sportsmanship.”
Coach Ferguson was himself an athlete, having been awarded the Most Outstanding Athlete award from the University of Utah in 1921.
The football field is named “Ferguson Field” in his honor. Historic Brigham City Association, Skyline Dental, and The Print Shop are creating a plaque commemorating Coach Ferguson that will be placed near the gym at the high school soon.
All photos are used for nonprofit educational and noncommercial purposes.
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