Howard Ferguson
St. Edward's High School
Impact Statement
“Teach them how to play the game the right way. Teach them about class. Show them how to overcome adversity. Take all your knowledge, experience and love and share it.”
Biography
Howard Ferguson was a lot of things to a lot of people. As his daughter Jackie said during her speech at the 2018 Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame where her dad was inducted posthumously, “He was funny. He was tactful. He was magic.”
Ferguson began wrestling while at John Marshall High School. He began coaching in the 1960’s at the West Shore YMCA. While at the helm, his teams compiled a dual meet record of 138-2 over a course of seven years.
His next step, in 1974, was taking over local high school St. Edward’s and the rest was history. In a very short time, almost immediately, he made an impact and turned St. Ed’s into a powerhouse. In his 15 seasons, the Eagles won 11 team state championships and coached 32 individual champs. He also coached 20 runners-up. His wrestlers continued their success at the next level. On the NCAA level, 13 of his wrestlers claimed 26 All American honors.
Outside of coaching, Ferguson was quite a career in real estate. He was considered a pioneer in converting high-rise apartment buildings into condominiums.
Ferguson also was an accomplished author. He penned a coffee-table book, The Edge: The Guide to Fulfilling Dreams, Maximizing Success and Enjoying a Lifetime of Achievement. The book is an accumulation of life lessons, quotes, and beliefs about coaching and athletes.
Ferguson passed away suddenly in October of 1989 but his legacy lives on to all that knew him.
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