Updated 5/5/08

One of the winningest active coaches in collegiate softball, Bonnie Jill (B.J.) Ferguson begins her 29th season as the head coach of the University of Delaware softball team in 2009.

Ferguson, a 1979 graduate of Springfield (MA) College, joined the Blue Hen faculty in 1980 and has guided Delaware teams to winning records in 18 of her 28 seasons, with her 1983 and 1985 squads winning the East Coast Conference regular-season titles.

The 2004 season was one of the Hens' most successful as Delaware posted a record of 29-22-1 and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship round before falling to top seed and host Hofstra twice on the final day.

Her 1984 team captured the first softball conference title in Delaware history. In 28 seasons, Ferguson owns a record of 581-535-7, ranking her among the top 40 active NCAA Division I softball coaches.

She joined some exclusive company April 13, 2005 in a 6-0 win over Rider as she posted her 500th career victory, becoming just the 41st active NCAA Division I coach to reach that milestone. She recorded her 400th win vs. Maine on March 1, 2001. She coached her 1,000th career game during the 2006 season when the Blue Hens downed Delaware State 7-0 on March 18.

Ferguson enjoyed remarkable success during a four year run in 1997-2000, leading her Blue Hen teams to records of 22-19 in 1997, 27-20 in 1998, 33-17 in 1999, and 36-14 in 2000.

Each season the team has set the school record for wins and each team has finished third or higher in the America East regular season standings. During those four seasons, Delaware had a combined record of 118-68 (.634), including a record of 44-21 (.677) in league play.

Ferguson, who played for two ASA Major Softball Fastpitch teams in Orlando, Fla. before arriving at Delaware, won her 300th game when the Blue Hens defeated Lafayette 6-1 on March 24, 1998 and earned America East Coach of the Year honors in 1997.

She once again earned conference coach of the year honors in 2003 when she was honored by the Colonial Athletic Association. Ferguson led a team that was picked to finish fifth in the league standings to a third place finish with an overall record of 20-21-1 and a league mark of 8-7. Delaware was the only team in the CAA to defeat each league member at least one during the regular season series. It was the third time in her softball coaching career that Ferguson earned the honor. She also won the award during the 1986 season when Delaware played in the East Coast Conference.

In addition to her softball duties, Ferguson served as head coach of the Blue Hen women's tennis team for 12 seasons ending in 1992. During her tenure, she guided her teams to a dual record of 103-62 and led the squad to back-to-back ECC titles in 1987 and 1988.

In winning her 100th career match at the helm of the tennis team in 1992, Ferguson became only the second coach in Delaware history to collect 100 victories coaching two different sports.

She stepped down as tennis coach in 1992 when she assumed the administrative responsibility of heading NCAA compliance for the Delaware athletics department. She held that position until 1995.

Ferguson is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and also serves on the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Ranking Committee.

Ferguson majored in physical education at Springfield, earning a masters degree in teaching and administration in 1980. She is an associate professor in the College of Health and Nursing Sciences at the University of Delaware.