Randy Ferbey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Randy Ferbey
Curler
Team Ferbey in 2010
Born	(1959-05-30) May 30, 1959 (age 66) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Career
Brier appearances	8 (1987, 1988, 1989, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005)
World Championship appearances	6 (1988, 1989, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005)
Top CTRS ranking	2nd (2004–05 & 2005–06)
Grand Slam victories	3: World Cup/Masters (Feb 2006); Players (2006, 2009)
Medal record Men's curling Representing  Canada World Championships Gold 1989 Milwaukee Team Gold 2002 Bismarck Team Gold 2003 Winnipeg Team Gold 2005 Victoria Team Silver 1988 Lausanne Team Representing  Alberta Brier Gold 1988 Chicoutimi-Jonquière Gold 1989 Regina Gold 2001 Ottawa Gold 2002 Calgary Gold 2003 Halifax Gold 2005 Edmonton Silver 2004 Saskatoon Canadian Olympic Trials Silver 1987 Calgary

Randy S. Ferbey (born May 30, 1959) is a retired Canadian curling player and coach from Sherwood Park, Alberta. He is famous for winning six Canadian championships (called the Tim Hortons Brier) and four World Curling Championships. Randy recently coached the Rachel Homan women's curling team.

Randy was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He became well-known for a special way of playing curling. He was the "skip" (the team leader who decides shots), but he threw the third rocks instead of the last ones. His team was called "the Ferbey Four." They won four Briers in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005. They almost won in 2004 but lost a big lead. Other teams, both men's and women's, started using this strategy too. The Ferbey Four also made "numbered zones" popular. This was a way to call out how much power was needed for certain shots. Many people think the Ferbey Four, especially from 2002 to 2006, was one of the best curling teams ever.

The team was amazing because of each player. David Nedohin was great at making shots, often scoring very high. Randy Ferbey was known for his bold and risky shot choices. Marcel Rocque and Scott Pfeifer, nicknamed "Huff and Puff" for their hard work, were excellent at sweeping the ice and playing the first stones. This made them a very tough team to beat.

Randy Ferbey played in eight Briers, six World Championships, and four Continental Cups. He also skipped in two Canadian Mixed Curling Championships, won three Canada Cups, and two TSN Skins Games. In 2019, a poll by TSN (with broadcasters, reporters, and top curlers) named Ferbey the greatest Canadian male third player in history. Even though he was the skip, he threw the third stones, so he was often seen as a third.

Randy Ferbey's Curling Journey

Early Years with Pat Ryan

Randy Ferbey played in his first Tim Hortons Brier in 1987. He was the third player for Pat Ryan's team. They didn't do very well that year, finishing with six wins and five losses. But the next year, Ferbey, Ryan, and their Alberta teammates Don Walchuk and Don McKenzie won the Brier! They became Canadian champions by beating Eugene Hritzuk from Saskatchewan 8–7 in the final game.

At the 1988 World Championships, Team Ryan won a silver medal. They lost to Eigil Ramsfjell from Norway 5–4 in the final. In 1989, as the defending champions, Team Ryan won their second Canadian championship. They beat Rick Folk from British Columbia in a very low-scoring game, 3–2. Games like this, played by teams like Ryan's (nicknamed the "Ryan Express"), led to new rules. The Canadian Curling Association and World Curling Federation added the 3-rock rule, and later the 4-rock rule, to encourage more scoring. At the 1989 Worlds, Ferbey and Team Ryan won their first World Championship. They beat Switzerland's Patrick Hürlimann in the final. In 1990, Ferbey left the team. He tried to get to the Brier with a new team but didn't make it past the Alberta championships.

The Famous "Ferbey Four" Team

After playing his last season with Pat Ryan in 1997, Randy Ferbey joined a young player named David Nedohin. They also had Carter Rycroft and Pat McCallum on their team. After a good first season, Ferbey brought in Scott Pfeifer, moving Rycroft to the lead position.

In 1999, Rycroft left to play with Randy's main rival, Kevin Martin. Marcel Rocque then joined the team. This completed the "Ferbey Four" team that would go on to dominate the Brier for many years. Ferbey returned to the Alberta provincial championships in 1999. They didn't win that year, but they came back strong in 2001. They won the Alberta final against Kevin Martin, 6–4. Then, they won the 2001 Nokia Brier by beating Kerry Burtnyk from Manitoba 8–4 in the final. This win sent them to the 2001 World Championships. However, they lost both their semi-final game and the bronze medal game to Pål Trulsen from Norway.

In 2002, Team Ferbey won their second straight provincial final, beating Mike Vavrek 6–5. Randy then won his fourth Brier (and his team's second) at the 2002 Nokia Brier. They beat John Morris 9–4 in the final. This time, at the 2002 World Championships in Bismarck, North Dakota, his team won the championship! They beat the same Pål Trulsen, 10–5.

After beating Jamie King 10–3 in the 2003 Alberta final, Ferbey and his team returned to the Brier in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2003. In the finals, they beat the local favorites, Mark Dacey, 8–4. At the 2003 Ford World Curling Championship, his team won their second world title, beating Ralph Stöckli from Switzerland 10–6.

The team won their fourth provincial title in 2004, defeating the Kurt Balderston team 8–5. The 2004 Nokia Brier was a tough one for them. After reaching the Brier for the fourth year in a row (which was amazing for a team from Alberta), they lost in the final. They had a great record of 10 wins and 1 loss in the round-robin. But they lost to the same team they beat the year before, Mark Dacey from Nova Scotia, in a close 10–9 game where Ferbey's team lost their lead.

However, Team Ferbey didn't give up. Their winning streak wasn't over. In 2005, they won the Alberta championships again, for a record fifth time! They beat the Jamie King team 8–6 in an extra end. The team then won the 2005 Canadian championships again. This set a new record, as his team became the first to win four championships together. The final was against another team from Nova Scotia, led by Shawn Adams. In another close game, Team Ferbey won 5–4. Their trip to the 2005 Men's Ford World Curling Championships was a bit harder at first. They finished the round-robin with three losses, tied for first with five other teams. But after a 4–3 record, Ferbey's team won eight straight games to win the championship! They had a convincing 11–4 victory over David Murdoch from Scotland. Also, the Ferbey team was the first in history to score five points in a single end in the World Finals. They even did this twice at the 2005 World Championships!

One of the biggest disappointments for the team was not qualifying for the Olympics. After winning their first Brier, the team finished 5–4 at the 2001 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They missed the playoffs by just one game. In 2005, after winning their final Brier, they finished 4–5 at the Trials that year. In 2009, the team had another tough Olympic Trials, finishing 3–4.

Teaming Up with Brad Gushue

In April 2010, Randy Ferbey announced he would join Brad Gushue's team for the 2010–11 curling season. Ferbey would be the skip but throw the third rocks, just like he did with his old team. The previous third player, Mark Nichols, moved to the second position, and Ryan Fry played lead. Jamie Korab, who used to be the lead on Team Gushue, decided to take a break. It was interesting that the last game the "Ferbey Four" played was against Gushue in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Players' Championships. Ferbey lost to Gushue 8–3. In their first event together, the new team lost to Thomas Lips in the final of the 2010 Baden Masters.

In December 2010, Randy Ferbey and David Nedohin said they would team up again. They wanted to play in the 2011 Boston Pizza Cup to try and represent Alberta at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier. On February 9, 2011, Randy Ferbey announced he was done curling with Brad Gushue's team. He knew after the Canadian Open Grand Slam Event that it was time to move on.

The Final Season and Retirement

In the 2011–12 curling season, Ferbey teamed up again with his longtime teammate David Nedohin. Nedohin threw the fourth stones. Ferbey skipped from the third position, and Ted Appelman and Brendan Melnyk played as second and lead. They did quite well on the World Curling Tour. They won The Shoot-Out and finished second at the Cactus Pheasant Classic. However, they didn't make it to the playoffs at the 2011 World Cup of Curling and the 2011 BDO Canadian Open of Curling.

Randy Ferbey decided to retire from competitive curling after trying to put together a team for the 2013 Olympic Trials. That plan didn't work out when Nedohin decided to form his own team. Randy was inducted into the WCF Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2023, Ferbey and his "Ferbey Four" teammates (David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, and Marcel Rocque) were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Randy Ferbey works as a representative for Everest Funeral Concierge Service. He is married and has three children.

Teams Randy Ferbey Played On

Grand Slam Curling Record

See also

In Spanish: Randy Ferbey para niños