After 40 years in coaching Capital High's Terry Ferrell hasdecided to give life a try without worrying about picking a startingline-up or drawing up a play in a tight game with seconds to play.
Thursday, Capital Principal Clinton Giles announced that Ferrellhas resigned as coach of the Cougars' highly successful girlsbasketball team.
'I've been doing this, coaching in some way, since I was 16,'Ferrell said. 'That's nearly 40 years.'
He has been coaching some sport at the high school level since1969.
'My health the last couple of years has not been real good.'
Ferrell's twin brother Jerry had open-heart surgery a little overa year ago and he has the same congenital heart problem.
'So far I've been able to avoid his problems.'
The release from Capital cited the 'physical and emotional andstresses of such a high profile position' as being among the factorsleading to Ferrell's decision.
The Cougars won back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002.
During his tenure at Capital Ferrell amassed a record of 116 winsand just 26 losses, an 816 winning percentage, with half of thelosses coming in his first year on the job.
Last season's squad finished 17-5 and returns four starters and 18players from the varsity and junior varsity teams.
'They have a pretty good nucleus coming back,' Ferrell said. 'Ididn't leave the cupboard bare.'
Assistant Coach John Vencill will step down along with hislongtime friend.
'He has been a great help and inspiration to me,' Ferrell said.'We've coached together in boys basketball, baseball, and girlsbasketball. He's had as much to do with any success we've had.'
Including 11 years previously as the Charleston High girlsbasketball coach Ferrell has a career record of 298-87, a .774 mark.He took the Mountain Lions to the state tournament twice, losing tothe eventual state champion each time.
'I'd coached boys,' he said. 'I was a little leery to get into it,but in a lot of ways (girls) are easier to coach.'
He refuses to accept the credit for that impressive won-lossrecord though, spreading that to Vencill and the players.
'Vencill had as much to do with our winning as me,' Ferrellinsisted. 'Of course the players are the ones that deserve the realcredit.'
Not bad for someone who wasn't sure he wanted to coach girlssports.
Ferrell also led the Mountain Lions to a pair of cross-countrystate championships in six years as coach.
He also spent eight years as baseball coach, and did stints as atrack coach, boys basketball coach, and as a basketball assistant.
'I've been fortunate to have a bunch of good kids that werewilling to work,' he said. 'And it helps to have talent.'
Ferrell will continue to teach math at Capital for 'at least twoor three more years' and while ruling out any return to the Capitalbench this season will not completely dismiss the possibility of areturn to some type of coaching in the future.
'We'll see how the stress of not coaching compares with the stressof coaching,' Ferrell said.
Capital Athletic Director Pete Meszaros is heading up a committeethat will go over applications and make a recommendation to Gileswith the decision on a replacement being made in the near future.
