Quay County Sun - Serving the High Plains

The National High School Athletic Coaches Association recently announced Tucumcari High School’s Wayne Ferguson is a finalist for its 2020 National Coach of the Year in boys track.

The eight finalists will be honored during the National Coach of the Year banquet July 23 during the association’s annual convention in Lincoln, Nebraska, and a winner will be announced at that evening. A total of 19 coaches of the year will be honored that evening in 19 sports categories.

The New Mexico High School Coaches Association nominated Ferguson.

“It’s a privilege,” Ferguson said of his advancement as a finalist. “I usually try to stay pretty humble, but I’m pretty excited about this.”

According to a news release from the national association, his selection as a Coach of the Year finalist was based on longevity, service to high-school athletics, honors, championship years and winning percentage.

Experts in the coaching field will use sports-specific rubrics to assign points in each category to evaluate the finalists.

Ferguson was inducted last year into the New Mexico High School Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

He became Tucumcari's assistant track coach in 1994 and helped the boys team win the state title in the 800-meter relay the next year. He became head coach in 1996 and won two state titles the same season — in the 300-meter hurdles and 800-meter relay.

Ferguson has coached the boys team to 29 individual state titles in 24 seasons, plus team titles in 2008 and 2017. The Rattlers also have finished second once and third four times for the team state crown.

In 2004, Ferguson also became Tucumcari’s girls track coach and guided them to nine individual state championships.

He still coaches both teams.