George Ferguson Column: An amazing 15 years, thanks to her

Fifteen years can be a long time. Heck, even one year can seem to drag on forever.

But, when it comes to two very big things in my life, marriage, and sports, 15 years has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

Yes, it was 15 years ago today that I said “I do” to my wife, Amy. And though it seems like I shouldn’t be able to remember that far back, it seems to me like it was just yesterday.

In the world of sports, look at all that has happened in the last 15 years. I mean, Tiger Woods was actually a really good golfer 15 years ago. Michael Jordan was still playing basketball, and I wasn’t even the head coach of the Havre Blue Pony tennis teams yet.

Also, I wasn’t the sports editor at the Havre Daily just yet, but I was here, and man, in my 15 years of marriage, I have sure seen a lot of great sports in these parts.

Start with all the state championships I’ve seen. The Havre High football team in 2004, the Blue Pony girls basketball team in 2014, Big Sandy boys basketball, Rocky Boy boys basketball, Box Elder boys basketball, Chinook football in 2010, Chinook volleyball and tennis, North Star track and field, and let’s not forget, I pretty much can’t count how many wrestling state titles the Blue Ponies have won in my 15 years of marriage.

Of course those aren’t the only sports that have won state titles during my marriage, and I would be remised if I didn’t mention the five tennis state championship and the number of individual state titles I’ve been so lucky and privileged to have coached during my time at Havre High.

I’ve seen some great things at MSU-Northern, too. I got to cover an NAIA national championship in wrestling in 2004 in Great Falls, I’ve seen national tournament success and Frontier championships by the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and that October day in 2006, when the Lights knocked off No. 1 Carroll College at Blue Pony Stadium, that’s a day I can’t forget.

I also can’t forget watching Marc Mariani star for the Montana Grizzlies and then in the NFL, or Gary Wagner win an NAIA national football title for Carroll College, or the hundreds of other outstanding athletic performances I’ve seen in the last 15 years. I’ve even been lucky enough to cover a U.S. Open golf tournament. If you asked me 15 years ago if I would have been able to do that, I probably would have laughed.

No, make no mistake, though I won’t list them all here, I remember all of the wonderful memories, magical moments and great sporting achievements I’ve seen and have been a part of the last 15 years.

But what stands out to me the most about the last 15 years in sports is this, the Chicago Cubs still haven’t won the World Series! No, I’m only kidding. What stands out the most to me is my wife, Amy, has been the one constant through it all. Ups and downs in sports happen just like in life. Magical moments come and go, but having her by my side, that’s forever. That’s real life, and I’m very lucky to have someone like her in my world.

I know I probably don’t tell her that often enough, but I’m telling her right now, in front of all of my readers.

Yes, even our marriage is a world dominated by sports, and that makes me feel even luckier that I have someone not only who puts up with it all, the yelling at the TV, the games and late nights writing stories, the tennis trips and how much time I spend on the golf course, she has put up and been through it all with me. But, she is also happy to share it with me. That’s right, it might have taken some time to get here, but my wife is a sports nut now, too, and I’m so grateful she is.

But sports aside, I’m just lucky to have such an incredible and special person in my life, because that’s what Amy is, a special person, my best friend and my wife. I hope all of you reading this have that too.

So happy anniversary, Amy. And here’s hoping the next 15 years are as fun, great and special as the last 15 have been.