The Oxford High School Athletic Department announced last week that it was recommending to the Board of Education that Lawerence W. ‘Larry? Ferris be named the new varsity girls soccer coach.
The position would be effective immediately.
‘It’s a nice feeling. It was a move, with running the (soccer) club out here in Oxford, that helps marry all the parts of the puzzle to help develop soccer in the community out here,? said Ferris, 58, of Rochester.
After previously working with the freshman soccer team over at Rochester High School for the last 10 years, he is excited for the opportunity to field the best team the school has to offer. In 2002, he was part of the coaching staff that took Rochester High School to the state championship.
‘There getting ready to go into the OAA next year; I’ve been in the OAA for ten years, and I know exactly what they got to prepare in order to be there. I felt that everything was the right mix’I don’t know if I would have left Rochester High School except for Oxford.?
He hopes to bring some stability to the program that has undergone numerous coaching changes.
One of the biggest challenges he said is ‘managing and getting the max out of the girls and try to find the right place they are comfortable in.?
‘My challenge is getting that first team and making the right choices so they can play together and they feel comfortable enough to bring some wins home for the school,? he said.
He describes himself as a coach who is going to ‘praise loudly and scold quietly.?
‘I think if you find those positives, they build up their confidence. You can’t make a mistake means whatever you try is not a mistake, it’s an effort and that’s ok. I would rather see you try and do something. If you fail, learn from it, and we will see what we can do to get you better,? said Ferris.
In addition to coaching, he is currently the Director of the Oxford Soccer Club, which he helped establish in 2002 as part of Oxford Township Parks and Recreation.
Since then, he has overseen the entire creation of a competitive soccer outlet for the youth of Oxford and surrounding areas.
He started out with three teams and 26 players. Over time, he has seen the program grow to 10 teams and 134 children. According to Ferris, some of the boys who played for the club teams made it onto the high school teams.
‘The thing that I always say to everybody that it’s never me, it’s all the wonderful people at the Parks and Recreation in supporting me and understanding what I wanted to do with the club there,? he said. Ferris also wanted to give credit to the coaches and parents of the travel teams that supported him as well as OHS Athletic Director Mike Watson, who understands what Ferris is trying to create.
‘I work with Mike and he has a great vision of what he wants to do with the program and sees the value of getting the kids the training and exposure so when they come to Oxford High School they have the ability to try out and the ability to make the team.?
After retiring in 1999 after serving 25 years as a sales and promotions manager for RCA records, he spends his days monitoring the halls of Rochester High School.
Ferris has been married to his wife Cindy for 34 years. The couple has two daughters, 30 and 29, and a son, who is 24.
When he is not coaching, he is going to restart drawing and painting.
‘I figure that if I can get another 10 years out of me, I will be okay,? Ferris said. ‘I will be one of those old guys out there, one of those Joe Paterno-type of guys. I enjoy doing it and you are only as young as you feel.?