But the 53-year-old Ferguson has had plenty of experience in rolling with the punches — and not just the kind that come from having spent 24 years as a college head coach, including 16 with the Raiders.
Raising a house-full of kids has taught him how to flex with whatever comes his way.
He and wife Julie have five grown children. And they decided to put their parenting skills to work again about six months ago by taking in two foster kids, ages 5 and 2.
“My wife always wanted eight or nine kids. When we were down at Campbell (where he had a successful run from 2000-04), I was so busy at the early stages of my career, we decided to stop at five. But she said, ‘Make me a promise that we’ll either foster or adopt later,’” Ferguson said.
“My youngest went to college this past year, and we decided to foster. We’ve got two in the house, and that’s using up all the energy we have.”
At least he has his in-laws nearby. He moved his family about an hour north of Dayton to New Bremen after leaving Campbell to be close to them.
“I’ve got to start doing calisthenics to keep up with those kids,” he joked. “But there are times when it’s extremely rewarding.”
Ferguson certainly has had a rewarding stretch with the Raiders, who open the season at Cleveland State at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Though they’re often going up against better-funded programs, they’ve reached double-digits wins in nine of his 15 seasons, finished second in the league twice and advanced to the conference tourney finals three times.
They went 10-6-2 last season and were second in the league in scoring at 1.78 goals per game. But the year ended on a sour note with three straight losses, including a quick exit in the HL tourney.
“You can blame it on injuries. You can blame it on bad luck. But the fact of the matter is it’s done. And I think those kids coming back really have a point to prove. They’re not talking about it so much, but I think it’s in their approach to practice every day,” Ferguson said.
Of their 32 goals last season, 25 were scored by returning players — but that was before losing Johnson, a first-team all-league pick who was fourth in the conference with nine goals. She’s expected back for the fall season.
“That’s obviously a big loss, but we’re pretty excited about the team we have this year,” Ferguson said.
Defender Michelle Rings made the all-freshman team last season, and the Raiders have been fortified by several transfers, including a sophomore forward who shows much promise, Olga Massombo.
She played at Northwestern Ohio last season, and Ferguson said she was raised in Quebec after escaping as a refugee from the Congo.
She’s expected to have an immediate impact.
“She’s 5-8 or 5-9 and probably as athletic as Destiny Johnson with maybe a better first step,” he said. “I think she’s a player who’ll end up being a pro after her career at Wright State.”
But Jordyne Helinski, who led the league in shots and notched six goals, has graduated along with solid goalkeeper Maddie Jewell (who’s now on the staff). And the Raiders, picked to finish sixth in the league, likely will have no seniors in the starting lineup.
“If Destiny and Jordyne didn’t score, I wasn’t sure who would score,” Ferguson said. “But we should have six, seven or eight people who are dangerous in the attack.”
The Raiders, who will have nine weekly matches before the league tourney, have been training mostly in McLin Gym, which isn’t exactly ideal.
But like other fall sports coaches, Ferguson is just happy to have a season — even if that means playing in snow or extreme cold on occasion.
Those adverse conditions may bother some, but he’s become accustomed to going with the flow.
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