Brewer High School

Joe Ferris competed in baseball and basketball while attending Brewer High School. Ferris was a standout baseball player for the Witches and Coach Charlie Heddericg.  Ferris’ record during his three years at Brewer High School was ten wins, three losses and four saves.

Ferris went on to pitch at the University of Maine where he pitched for several successful Black Bear teams. During his sophomore campaign, Ferris finished the regular season with a 6-0 record and a 2.18 earned run average while helping to lead the Black Bears of Maine to the Yankee Conference Championship.  Just before the District One Playoffs, he was hit by a line drive fracturing his non-pitching hand. It required a cast, but Ferris still won the first game of the playoffs against Northeastern at Fenway Park. Maine went on to win the second game also and then on to the 1964 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

Maine won the opening game against Seton Hall 5-1 behind Ferris as he struck out nine. Maine lost the second game. Maine won the third game 4-2 against Arizona State (1965 national champs) with Ferris pitching two plus innings in relief to get the save. He then pitched the fourth game against the University of Southern California (the 1963 defending, national champions) beating them in a thrilling game by a 2-1 score. Although Maine lost the next game finishing third in the College World Series, Joe Ferris was named the MVP as a result of his outstanding pitching performances with a miniscule earned run average of .89. As MVP, Ferris’ name is listed in the United States Baseball Hall of Fame in the town of Cooperstown, New York. Ferris led the nation in 1964 with a perfect 9-0 record on the mound and had a career record of 16-3 for the Black Bears. At the time of his induction, both are still records at the University of Maine.

His catcher at Maine was Carl “Stump” Merrill who later managed the New York Yankees. Carl Merrill said that the reason for Joe Ferris’ success was that on any given day, he had good location with as many as four different pitches. Ferris played in the prestigious Cape Cod College League during the summers of 1964 and 1965. After graduation in 1966, he played that summer in the Basin League in South Dakota.

After his playing days, Ferris attended the University of Maine Law School. He then joined a law firm in the City of Brewer where he eventually opened his own law firm. He continues to practice law within the law firm of Gross, Minsky & Mogul PA of Bangor.

Joe Ferris has served the community in many roles as both a member of the Brewer School Committee and most recently, the Brewer City Council. Ferris was also the key member of a fundraising committee to place lights for the purpose of playing night games on both the Brewer High School baseball and softball fields. Numerous teams and countless student-athletes have benefited from playing night games over the many years since this effort was accomplished. Ferris has always been an advocate for Brewer students and Brewer athletics. He has been very active for many years in the Friends of Maine Baseball.

Ferris lives in Brewer with his long time partner Carol Depew. Ferris’ daughter, Jaime, was an outstanding softball pitcher at Brewer High School.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF JOE FERRIS

         Brewer A.D. David Utterback and Joe Ferris