News

North Posey High School athletic director Virgil Ferguson has been nominated by the Indiana High School Athletic Association for the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, an honor sponsored annually by the Indianapolis-based National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

The award seeks to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.

Whether he’s scheduling or organizing an athletic event, hiring officials, working to improve facilities or the countless hours spent with coaches and student-athletes, Ferguson’s spirit, passion and dedication is on daily display at the school located near Evansville in southwestern Indiana.

Ferguson’s service to the North Posey community and its student-athletes was preceded by 20 years of service to our country.

He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1972 and worked as a Major General’s enlisted aide at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and was responsible for all classified correspondence of the General’s review. He retired a Master Sergeant in 1993 and was recognized numerous times with awards like the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Humanitarian Medal to name just a few.

It was also the time that his passion for athletics grew strong as he also served as base athletic director for servicemen overseas and their activities.

It’s also been suggested that Ferguson’s spirit served him well in recovering from a traumatic health complication in which he underwent a liver transplant less than two years ago. He returned to his job and its 10-12 hour routine with renewed vigor and purpose just a few months later.

Even before the approval of his doctors, he was at his self-appointed spot as the welcoming agent for the IHSAA Student Leadership Conference. Ferguson personally greeted more than 1,000 student-athletes from across the Hoosier State as they arrived and departed their buses.

“Personally, it’s incredible to see Virgil back on a daily basis after witnessing the struggles he faced and lived with while waiting for a liver transplant,” said Forest Park athletic director Doug Louden. “Virgil has always been a people-person and a person I’ve admired and looked up to. I can tell by talking with the students at North Posey that he has a great relationship with them. His enthusiasm and energy carries over not only to the student-athletes but to his coaches and community as well.”

His story will be entered into regional competition with those nominees being considered for the national award by the NFHS. The overall national winner will be recognized at the NFHS Summer Meetings in Boston in June.

The IHSAA is proud to join North Posey High School in recognizing the example set by Virgil Ferguson who was selected from the 21 nominations below received by the IHSAA.

***

About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 412 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.