Coach’s Courageous Fight Against Illness Ends

Jason Ferguson, one of the youngest coaches in Orange County history and in his second season as head of the boys’ basketball team at Costa Mesa High School, died here Sunday after an inspiring, yearlong battle against a rare form of cancer. He was 24.

He is survived by his father, Marshall Ferguson, a sister, Aurian, and a brother, Marshall Jr.

Ferguson was engaged to Jana Horine, 24, a preschool teacher in West Covina.

“I just want people to remember his happier times, when he was playing and coaching, and what a strong person he was,” Horine, who had known Ferguson for more than five years, said Sunday.

She recalled him as “a very sensitive person, and he tried to make everyone comfortable. He didn’t want people to know how much pain he was in, even me.”

Ferguson, whose illness was diagnosed in January 1995, remained the Mustangs’ coach while undergoing intense chemotherapy. The cancer he suffered, known as Wilm’s tumor, is typically found in children younger than 5. It started in a kidney and spread to his lungs.

Breathing problems forced Ferguson into Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach last Tuesday, and he spent four days in the intensive care unit before he died at 12:23 a.m. Sunday.

He was determined to fight the disease with the same vigor he brought to coaching, friends and colleagues said. In the process, Ferguson’s example extended far beyond the basketball court.

“His courage through this whole thing . . . [was] just amazing,” said Larry Carlson, Costa Mesa High assistant principal. “So many times I would ask him how he was doing, and we’d always wind up talking about my family.

“He [was] a wizard at taking the focus off himself. The tragedy in this is for all those around him.”

Ferguson was hired at the school four years ago to coach the freshman team after coaching the junior varsity at Workman High in Industry. Watching Ferguson during the last year caused Costa Mesa High Athletic Director Jerry Howell to change his definition of strength.

“I sometimes look back to my childhood and I think I had it pretty hard and I was a pretty tough kid,” Howell said. “But then you would look at him and not know how he kept fighting.

“He displayed tremendous courage, integrity and honesty. He displayed the will to fight against any type of odds. I sure know I’m not that tough.”

Ferguson’s seemingly unflappable demeanor wasn’t newfound, friends said. Chris Freeman, Costa Mesa junior varsity coach, and Ferguson were best friends. They shared an apartment near the campus.

“He [was] just a great person to look up to,” said Freeman, who doubled as Ferguson’s personal aide. “He put the kids and the basketball team ahead of his illness.”

Along the way, Ferguson inspired many.

“In praying for him, he brought many of us closer to our faiths,” assistant principal Carlson said. “He showed these young men about courage. They learned a lesson about life never offered in a classroom or textbook.”

And the lesson was easily appreciated by outsiders as well. Pacific Coast League rival Laguna Beach High School held a free-throw-shooting contest to help raise funds for Ferguson’s enormous medical costs.

“I felt it was very important for my kids to know about his situation,” said Laguna Beach Coach Bret Fleming, whose team raised $1,000 for Ferguson.

“Here is a guy who went out and did his job under extremely tough circumstances,” he said. “We ask kids to go out and do their jobs in often excellent conditions. I wanted my kids to see that example of courage and determination.”

Ferguson displayed his grit on taking over the moribund Mustang program last season. He quickly made improvements, leading Costa Mesa to three league victories and eight overall. Costa Mesa had won three league games in the previous three seasons combined.

“He dreamed about being [an NCAA] Division I head coach,” Freeman said. “That was his dream and he never stopped believing it.”

Ferguson first sensed a problem while coaching a game last January. He felt a sharp pain in his back and discovered blood in his urine the next day. During his initial testing, UCI Medical Center doctors informed Ferguson that they believed he had had cancer for several years.

Too weak to work because of treatment, Ferguson quit his job for a company that promotes basketball tournaments. He roamed the Mustang sidelines in a wheelchair this season.

Unable to bellow instructions, he spoke softly to Freeman, who relayed his plans. Ferguson lost more than 60 pounds, and the spiraling cost of his treatment depleted his resources.

Coaches, school administrators and opposing players rallied around Ferguson, providing emotional support and raising funds for his care.

“He was such a tough guy,” Fleming said. “If you can’t learn from his situation, you’ve got blinders on.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Times staff writers Paul McLeod and Greg Miller contributed to this story.