Jimmy Ferrell had no particular visions of greatness when he came to UCF in 1976 and pursued the opportunity to become a walk-on for the Knights' basketball program.
Yet the Orlando product (Bishop Moore High School) made great use of that role and more to build multiple wealth management companies in Florida, thanks in great part to lessons he learned at UCF.
"Sports are about hard work and being a servant leader," Ferrell says. "When you're on a team you try to lead by example--and that's really important. It's a great takeaway for athletes when they get into the work world. They know how to work hard and they know how to lead. They walk the talk—they don't just talk the talk."
He has not forgotten his one season at UCF where he played for legendary former Knights' coach Torchy Clark. In that freshman year (1976-77) UCF finished 24-4 and played in the NCAA Division II Championship Southeast Regional in Chattanooga.
"When I walked on the team there were about 40 guys who tried out," Ferrell says. "Two of us made it and the other walk on left the team at Christmas break to pursue a part time job. We would build big leads in a lot of games and that was partly why I was able to get into every game."
"It was a great experience, one I will always cherish--plus we were really good. Torchy was the master of psychology, so it was a lot of fun. I was a 5-9 guard, an Energizer-bunny kind of guy. I had known Calvin Lingelbach (starting point guard) growing up because we were both from Pine Hills, and I had played with Bo Clark (he led that '77 UCF team in scoring at 28.8 per game) in high school. So two of the guys I knew really well—and those two plus Jerry Prather from that team are all in the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame."
Ferrell would have loved to continue playing, but personal circumstances made that unworkable—though he has his days when he wishes he had continued.
"I wish I could have kept going," he says. But I said, 'Coach, I've got to pay my way through school—I've got to go back to work and make good grades, too.' With no scholarship, I was paying my own way through school, and I needed to get a part-time job."
Ferrell wasted no time, working part-time for a local CPA firm while still an undergraduate. He graduated summa cum laude with a double major in accounting and finance. Florida State became his next stop, adding an MBA with a finance specialization.
After a stint with Price Waterhouse accounting and then co-founding an Orlando CPA firm (Chastang, Ferrell, Sims and Eiserman), he created Ferrell Wealth Management and spent 25 years as its president. Since 2020 he has been partner and managing director of Beacon Pointe Wealth Advisors Florida where he handles client service, new client development and works to grow the Beacon Pointe presence throughout the state.
Ferrell's UCF involvement includes a stint as president of the Golden Knights Club (formerly the official fundraising arm of UCF Athletics). As part of his connection with the Kiwanis Club of East Orlando, he served as chair of the UCF Football Kickoff Luncheon for several years,
Along the way he was named to the UCF College of Business Administration Hall of Fame and became involved with the UCF Foundation (chair of the investment committee for eight years), all part of his mission to give back to his alma mater.
He remains actively involved in the community as president of Morning Star Charities. He is a past board member of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and Interlachen Country Club and currently serves on the boards of the Center for Advanced Entrepreneurship at Rollins College and Winter Park National Bank—and he is a benefactor of UCF Athletics.
Ferrell received the 2012 Service to UCF Award and in 2014 was an honoree at the American Diabetes Association's Father of the Year Awards. Ferrell, a parishioner of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church was honored by Bishop Moore High School for his service and commitment to the Catholic Community.
Ferrell and wife Nikki have a blended family which includes—three sons (James, William and Jackson) now all working in the financial sector and a daughter Emily teaching pre-school special education.
"Basketball has been a big part of my life. The boys were very good basketball players and I helped coach their grade school and AAU basketball teams for several years until they stopped listening to me." All three played in high school and James went on to play at Rollins College.
During his one season playing basketball at UCF, Ferrell also experienced a university name change.
"They changed it in January 1977 during my freshman year," he says. "I actually was issued a duffel bag for basketball that said Florida Technological University, but when we started playing we became UCF."
Ferrell remains a consistent presence at UCF athletic events.
"I'm a season-ticket holder for basketball and football, so I go to all the games," he says. "I love watching (UCF men's basketball coach) Johnny Dawkins—he does a great job with his guys. I've been coming to games for years. I think the basketball team has a chance to have a great year, and I'm excited about what (director of athletics) Terry (Mohajir) and (football coach) Gus (Malzahn) are doing."
He's also convinced there is significant carryover from athletic experiences to the business world.
"I do think playing sports helps you in business," he says. "Almost everyone I've ever hired has been an athlete. I appreciate the work ethic and the teamwork. It's trying to make your teammates better—and not being afraid to compete. I think athletes make great hires."
Ferrell often laughs because of the confusion created by another UCF basketball player with the same name (first names spelled differently).
"A couple of years after I finished playing there was another Jimmie Ferrell at UCF," he says. "My senior year in high school I was point guard and captain at Bishop Moore. We were playing Boone High School, and I was going through the layup line before the game. This kid taps me on the shoulder and says, 'I just wanted to introduce myself. My name's Jimmie Ferrell, too.'
"That's the only time I ever met him. His father happened to be the UCF director of student affairs and is the name sake of the student services building known as Ferrell Commons."
"We both were left-handed, we both were guards. He was a good player and played one year at West Point and later transferred to UCF."
Ferrell (the one named Jimmy) has made his mark at UCF and in Orlando in more ways than one.
This is a recurring series of feature pieces on former UCF student-athletes.