Providence Christian to start football this fall; Lebron Ferguson hired as first coach

Cecil Joyce
Murfreesboro Daily News Journal

Providence Christian Academy will begin high school football this fall.

The school announced that and the program's first coach Wednesday. Former Oakland coach Lebron Ferguson will head up the inaugural program.

"I'm excited about it," Ferguson said of starting the program. "I'm excited to be back in the community. I'm excited to build (the program) with them."

The Lions will play eight-player football to start and work toward 11-player football, though there isn't an exact timetable for the move. The school's other athletics programs are TSSAA sanctioned and compete in Division II-A.

"That is our vision (to increase to 11-player, TSSAA-sanctioned football)," PCA athletics director Tara James said. "Numbers and growth will dictate that. Based on our numbers the last three years, we're on the right track."

Former Oakland and Franklin Road Academy coach Lebron Ferguson will head up the inaugural Providence Christian Academy high school football team this fall.

The school has fielded a middle school football program the past three years, which will give Ferguson some experience with which to work. There is a field on campus that is also used for soccer and other athletics. The team will play its home games there in 2020. There are no lights on the field, so games will be played during daylight hours.

The school is in the process of expanding, with a new 1,200-capacity gym, weight room, locker rooms, classrooms, science labs and administrative offices scheduled to be completed in March 2021.

James said that after that project is completed the school would "start discussing" a new outdoor athletics complex that would be close to, but not on, campus.

Ferguson, who attended Sewanee and later MTSU, is a 27-year coaching veteran. He was an assistant at Oakland from 1996-2003 and was head coach from 2004-07.

"He's a local guy, and that's always helpful," James said. "People know him from church and the community. His character is outstanding. The guy knows football. We need someone to build the program, and we have that in Lebron."

Ferguson went 11-29 during his tenure at Oakland, including 3-7 in his final season.

He has spent the past 12 years at Franklin Road Academy, where he was an associate athletics director in charge of middle school sports and was also an assistant football coach (offensive coordinator, offensive line).

At PCA, most of his experienced players are freshmen and sophomores.

"There's an age curve there, but we're excited about starting," Ferguson said. "We're going to create energy, work hard and do things the right way.

"These men need football, and we're giving them that opportunity."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.