From Staff Reports

The North Carolina state record for career wins by a head coach belongs to Joe Ferebee, a coaching legend who led the Spencer, Salisbury and Rowan County teams for many years starting in 1949.

Ferebee ended his run as an American Legion baseball coach in 1989 with 694 career wins.

How long that record stays in his possession is in question.

Cherryville defeated Kings Mountain 10-6 on Friday. That win put Post 100 coach Bobby Reynolds into a tie with Ferebee for the record.

Reynolds could pass Ferebee on Saturday when Cherryville battles, of all teams, Rowan County at 1 p.m. in the first game of an American Legion tripleheader hosted by Kannapolis Post 115 at Northwest Cabarrus High.

Rowan County goes into the game looking for a bounce back win after a 6-5 loss Friday to Randolph County.

Ferebee’s first season coaching American Legion baseball was in 1949 at Spencer. His team went 7-1.

Ferebee spent the next seven seasons coaching Salisbury before a one-year stint coaching Albemarle in 1957. He took over Rowan County Post 342 in 1967 and spent the next 22 years at the helm.

Ferebee won a state championship in 1955 coaching Salisbury and three more as the coach of Rowan County in 1969, 1971 and 1984.

His teams were state runners-up four times.