Feb. 29, 2008

FRESNO, Calif. - After 28 seasons on the Bulldog bench, Fresno State's long-time athletics trainer, Ed Ferreira, has announced this will be his final season. Ferreira is retiring from Fresno State in August 2008. He's been a part of the most successful teams in Bulldog history and worked under coaches Boyd Grant, Ron Adams, Gary Colson, Jerry Tarkanian, Ray Lopes and Steve Cleveland. Ferreira may continue teaching at Fresno State and spend time with his wife, Marta, his two daughters, and a granddaughter. Fresno State will honor Ferriera and his family during the March 1 game against New Mexico State. GoBulldogs.com sat down with Ed for this exclusive interview.

GB: Why retire now?

Ed Ferreira: It is just a feeling that I had, and it's not just 29 years of Fresno State, I got 37 years in total. So I started in 1970; I worked at a junior college for eight years, and came here. I will be 61 this summer and my interests and priorities have changed to my family and to myself...and I am at a spot in my life to do some others things and my job and my retirement allow me to do that.

GB: When did you make this decision?

EF: I came to grips with that in September of 2007

GB: What made you make this decision?

I have been doing homework about retirement for a while. They said you were suppose to look retirement five years before, which I did about three years ago and I looked again last spring and I thought about it hard in September and I spoke with my family and I told them that I thought it was time and they were very excited about it. So that told me I was making the right decision. I've got two daughters and a son-in-law, a grand-daughter and my wife and so when I saw how happy they were, I knew I made the right decision.

GB: What was your most memorable time while working at Fresno state?

EF: I don't know that I can point out any one memorable time, and there are so many different areas to look at. Most people think it is going to be wins and losses and you know what it's been more of the relationships with the people I worked with and worked for, the athletes that have come and gone, ours training students that have come and gone. Obviously the 80's in basketball was really exciting. The first time ever Fresno State went to the NCAA and to be a part of that, to watch this community embrace that, and I never seen that happen since. It was a once in the life time experience. When we won the NIT championship in New York, and came home, the city had literally shut down and declared a holiday. When we came out of the airport, the people lined the street both sides in red from the airport all the way to campus. And to see that experience, it was just incredible. I guess that it is probably the most memorable moment I will always think about. That was in 1983. That basketball team was pretty special.

GB: What was your worst time at Fresno state?

EF: I don't think there has ever been a worst time. I mean life is an experience and not everything is always going to be on high and it's going to vary. So I never look at it as a bad time but that it is challenging. I never had a bad time that I never wanted to be at Fresno State, I never felt that way. The past 29 years has been a great ride and it has gone so fast. And again its because part of the job keeps you young. If you think about it I work with an age group of 17-23, and that keeps you young and it great to see so many people with high energy levels and you have a opportunity to have a impact on their lives, be an athlete, be a student trainers and even coaches, young coaches that have come and gone. It's been fun. If I have to go back, I think 1979 when I came here, that seem like ages ago and yes it has gone so fast, that is because I have enjoyed it.

GB: Why Fresno State?

EF: It was the job opportunity. I have worked with the head trainer who was here before, and in junior college I have develop a student trainer program and what I did to my students trainers when they were finishing their degree in community college, I will take them to three schools that I really thought were good programs for them, that was Hayward, San Jose and Fresno. I drive them down in the car and let them meet the head trainer and see the campus. The head trainer at that time was Paul Schechter. So he had my students and he knew what I was doing, and they wanted to expand their staff, he asks me if I was interested, I came down, I looked, I interviewed, I was offered a position and I took it, simple as that. I wasn't looking for a job at that time but it was a door that opened for me and I looked at it. But I never applied for a job. I only had two jobs, I never applied for a junior college job, they asked me to apply. I think that if you live right, work hard, treat people with respect doors will always open.

GB: What are you going to do after you retire?

EF: There is an opportunity I can teach one of the athletic training classes at Fresno State. When I came here there were a class or two that were offered to the athletic training and I had the support of both departments (athletic and kinesiology), when I made the proposal that I will be willing to develop a curriculum program and they embrace that and let go with it. So in 1983 I started a development of the program, I taught it. I taught most of the classes. I put the curriculum together and had it approved by the university, and in 1985 we became the number four program in the State of California to be an accredited athletic training education curriculum and that allowed us an opportunity to recruit kids, and bring them in a different communities colleges and try to help them find work when they are done. But anyway, this allowed me to go full circle and be able to come back and teach a little bit back where I started.

GB: What's your favorite sport?

EF: That's a dirty question too. You know, my favorite sport is the athlete I am working with. I don't pay much attention to tennis but when I am working with tennis I love it. I love watching the kids compete. Obviously I have been with basketball for my whole life, my whole 37 years. I worked with football here, I enjoyed that. I just enjoy the opportunities. If I am going to sit back usually and watch, I really like football and I really enjoy college basketball.

GB: What was your most memorable achievement at Fresno State?

EF: I am going to say the development of the athlete training education curriculum.

GB: How long did it take you to become a head trainer?

EF: I was head trainer right out of college at my Junior college (West Valley Community college in Saratoga, Calif.). I was the first ever athletic trainer. The new campus was building and the athletic director and the department chair had a vision of wanted to have an athletic trainer as part of their staff and so they asked me if I would be interested. Actually the first couple of times I turned them down because I didn't think I was ready and the third time I said I will give it a shot, and when I finish up my schooling, I went to work for them. I got to design the training room. I got to establish an athletic training program and I even got to build up a cardio and strokes rehabilitation program. I also developed education class in athletic training. So I think that's part of what helped me to get my job here. I also put on workshops to educate the community, athletic directors and coaches in the San Jose area. I think that's what helps me. Then when I came to Fresno State to develop the education program and I also developed the student assistance program. Not just the drug testing but the whole program. It's been fun being a builder.

GB: From now on what would you like to do sometime in life?

EF: My wife sacrificed a lot to allow me to do my job. We have been married for 32 years. Now I've got good health, I want be able to give back to her as I dedicated myself to my work. I want to now dedicate my time to her and to my family, they allowed me to do what I enjoyed doing. So that's important. So a little traveling, a little leisure, I will never have a problem being bored.

GB: Is there something about you that most people don't know?

EF: I am very tall (laugh). If this I going out to the general public, most people don't know that I developed the education curriculum. I love gardening, landscaping, building things. I like fish. I have an aquarium. I spent a lot of time with my kids in youth mission.

GB: What your favorite place to travel to?

EF: Over all I just love the mountains. If I have to go spend a week in some place it will in San Diego. I also love Colorado

GB: What's your favorite hobby?

EF: Over all is working out. I love to cycle. I used to love running. I used to compete a lot 10 km in the community.

GB: What's favorite food?

EF: I love food. I will just say it is a toss between Italian and Mexican.

GB: What's was your dream job as a kid?

EF: Anything from being a truck driver. I looked hard into working for the forestry department and where I was going was to be physical education teacher and coach. I was going to coach cross country and track and maybe a little soccer.

GB: What is your best advice to all athletes?

EF: To be appreciative of the gift that they have. Too many people take their gifts for granted and don't apply themselves which is unfortunate.

GB: What your favorite's movies?

EF: I love science fiction movies like Godzilla. I love thing like the God Father, American Gangster, Saving Private Ryan...