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‘I can’t wait for Saturday’
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Nothing keeps Jack Ferguson away from Baker football
 (Baker City Herald) Ferguson has assumed the mantle worn for years by Herman Steiger as Baker High School’s No. 1 fan. He has secured a day pass to let him out of his hospital room at St. Elizabeth Health Services to cheer on his beloved Bulldogs at Baker Bulldog Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. He’ll even chow down during the team breakfast Saturday (“I hope it’s steak and eggs,” he says with relish) and watch the game from his car, which school officials will allow to be parked in the north end zone. “I’m getting the royal treatment,” Ferguson says, a broad grin creasing his face. “I can’t wait for Saturday.” Ferguson, 77, suffered an infection after shoulder surgery. He wasn’t sure he’d get out of the hospital in time to witness Saturday’s much-anticipated Class 4A playoff game. He didn’t think the Bulldogs would go to the trouble of ensuring that their biggest fan could enjoy the game in person. It’s just the kind of treatment that big fans in small towns can enjoy, said Baker High School Principal Jerry Peacock. “Jack is special to Bulldog athletics. He takes it very seriously, and we appreciate his support,” Peacock said. “This is a small community in which many people stand out, and Jack is one of those individuals.” Last week, coaches and players delivered a large get-well banner that Ferguson has hanging on his hospital room wall. “Jack — Get well soon!!!” the banner says. “We play at home next week.” As if Ferguson didn’t know. “Baker’s gonna beat ’em, 25-13,” he predicts with a look of certainty, and then he again displays a grin. “I’ve been going to games all these years, and only once did I ever get one right,” he says with the kind of laugh that makes a visitor (not related to the patient) want to join in. Banks is the sixth-ranked team among Oregon’s 4A football teams; Baker is ranked ninth. A moving moment On the day last week when the team stopped by his hospital room to wish their special fan well, Ferguson said he was practically moved to tears. “I wanted to bawl,” he said. “I love those players, just like I’ve loved every one of them (over the years). I’ve never found a player I didn’t like. “Of course,” he adds, “I like some better than others. “You can’t believe what a hug will do for an athlete,” he says. “Just give him a hug and tell him he’s doing a good job. He’ll play better.” Peacock said the love between fan and players flows in both directions. “Jack has been around for a long time, supporting both boys and girls athletics,” the principal said. “The kids appreciate that, and it’s not unusual they would support him right back.” Twenty-six players and coaches signed Ferguson’s large card, which included these messages: “Fergie: Miss you lots at the practices and games. Hope you get better. #56 Paul Johnson.” “Ferg! You have to get better so you can see our rings!!! Robert Gardner, #50.” Then there are the notes and cards from the players who weren’t on hand to sign and deliver the larger card, like this from wide receiver and defensive back Rowdy LaMiller: “Hey Fergie, just thought I would let you know that I stopped by to see you and you weren’t here. Get well soon, buddy. We miss you.” Ferguson misses the players, too. Normally he can be found prowling the sidelines, exhorting the Bulldogs and chastising officials when they need it.
 (Baker City Herald) In fact, if there’s one thing he doesn’t like about his favorite football stadium (and Ferguson had to think long and hard about this one), it’s that the sidelines are too close — within easy earshot — to the hometown fans. “If you’re a coach, you can’t grab a player and say, ‘You little so-and-so, what were you doing out there?’ because his mother is sitting right behind you, and that doesn’t go over very well,” he says, his ever-present smile once again illuminated. “You gotta be careful who you cuss there.” When the decision came to allow Ferguson a few hours out of his room Saturday, his mood brightened considerably. He had resigned himself to listening to the game on the radio — but he wasn’t very happy with those prospects. “I can’t even tell which way (the Bulldogs) are going,” he says. But come Saturday he’ll have a good view of the entire game — without having to prowl the narrow sidelines. “That’s a good thing,” he says. “Walking the sidelines plumb wears me out anymore.” |
