Gilbert Ferrell is a native of Wilson and a 1950 graduate of Coon High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. He also lettered in these three sports at the college. As a basketball player he was among the team leaders in scoring and assists as a freshman and sophomore. He was elected to captain the team in his junior year. However, a knee injury in an early season game cut his athletic career short. As a baseball player he recorded a number of key pitching victories, defeating a Cherry Point Marine team composed of mostly professional players and East Carolina (then E.C.T.C)
Ferrell, who graduated from the college in 1954 was also president of the Monogram Club and of his freshman class. He served on the Pan Hellenic Council, was in the May Court, and won senior superlative honors as “Most Athletic”. After graduating he served a two year stint in the U.S. Army.
In 1956 Ferrell entered the teaching-coaching profession at Wallace-Rose Hill High. In 1957 he returned to Wilson as a teacher of Social Studies and assistant coach in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1959 he began a 20-year stint as Head Baseball Coach at Fike High School. His teams finished with winning records all 20 of those seasons, winning numerous conference and other championships. His teams reached the 4-A Eastern Finals in 1960, 1961, 1968, and 1974 and his 1968 team won the State 4-A Championship. He was selected to coach in the N.C. East-West High School All-Star Series in 1961. He was the recipient of the Award for Contribution to Baseball from the Wilson Hot Stove League in 1978 and the recipient of the Baseball Booster Award from the Raleigh Hot Stove League in 1982.
Ferrell became Athletic Director at Fike in 1965 and held that position until being named Athletic Director for the merged Wilson County School System in 1978. He was president of the N.C. High School Athletic Director Association for 1977-78 and was named N.C. High School Athletic Director of the Year for 1979-80. He also served as President of the N.C. High School Officials Association for 1984-85 and 1985-86 and received the 1989 N.C. Award of Merit from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators’ Association. In his present position he is Athletic Director Education, Health, and Physical Education for the Wilson County Schools.
Ferrell is married to the former Sue Brooks, also a Wilson native. They have three children, daughters Leigh robins of Roswell, Georgia; an Tricia, a student at UNC-Wilmington; and son Bert.
