NRHEG Head Track coach of 34 years, Duey Ferber, was celebrated during the final home track meet of his career Thursday evening in New Richland. Unbeknownst to him, more than 100 alumni, friends and family streamed onto the track to honor his tenure with the district.
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
In 34 years, NRHEG track and field coach Duey Ferber, 58, has racked up nearly as many awards as he has memories.
One more memory, a big one, was tacked on the board last week.
It may come as a surprise to some, but the longest tenured coach in NRHEG school history is hanging up his whistle at the end of this season.
Nearing the end of the final home track meet of Ferber’s career Thursday evening in New Richland, with the hurdle events completed, the voice of Jay Crabtree, a longtime former assistant coach, came over the loudspeaker.
As Crabtree recounted three decades of accomplishments, dozens of alumni, friends, family and students streamed onto the track to acknowledge, honor and celebrate Ferber’s tenured career.
“I literally didn’t have a clue,” Ferber said. “I thought Jay was being Jay and wanted to say some nice things about me. But when he asked those kids to come down… I kept asking them to help with hurdles, but they didn’t and I thought that was weird. But then when he stopped the meet and they all came out, I was overwhelmed.
“That killed me,” Ferber continued. “My whole family was there. That made it extremely special.”
Ferber credits Jessica Bouwers and Kim Schlaak as the architects of the plan. Ferber reached out through Facebook to try and get former alumni to come and work the final meet. He garnered few responses. Little did he know, there was a separate Facebook group setting this all up.
Ferber was surprised with posters, pictures, a gift, a card signed by the entire team, and many, many hugs and tears.
After the celebration and the conclusion of the evening's meet, it took more than two hours of conversations and the setting sun, before Ferber and company finally called it a night.
“I couldn’t imagine it being any more perfect,” Ferber said. “That was a nice ending.”
What’s next for NRHEG track and field?
“I want it to continue to be a strong program,” Ferber said. “Where everybody finds something to do. Everybody has an event. I just want it to continue on and be… Like I always tell the kids, I want us to be the team when our bus pulls up, I want the other teams to say ‘oh crap, NRHEG is here. We’re all fighting for second place.’”
This season, however, isn’t quite over.
Sub-sections are Thursday, May 23, followed by sections June 1 at Mankato East and finally the state meet at St. Michael-Albertville on June 6 and 7.
“I hope to get 15 onto sections and I’d like to see three get to state,” Ferber said. “I think that’s realistic.
“I say it to my seniors, everybody leaves me,” Ferber concluded. “It’s me this time. That’s the way I feel. It’s time to hand the baton to someone else. Keep it rolling.”