Derrick Fogle
Derrick ‘The Hacky Sack Man’ Fogle has been playing footbag for nearly half a century, and is considered one of the greatest icons in footbag history.
Derrick began playing footbag at the age of 17 in 1981 in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri. He was introduced to the game by his older brother, Ben. From there, Derrick became obsessed with the game, advancing his skills over his many years of play. He mixed casual kicking with freestyle tricks that included stalls (catching the bag on the foot), dexterities (circling the bag with the foot), flyers (jumping into the air to kick the bag), and spins (turning 360 degrees when the bag is in the air). All of this combined to create a unique style that mixed many eras of the sport. He also created a form of play called ‘the Funky Chicken’ which emphasized rhythmic movement while kicking the footbag.
Fogle played on the University of Missouri (Mizzou) campus for over forty years, in such well-known places such as Speaker’s Circle and Lowry Plaza. He was considered an icon and public figure in Columbia due to the many generations of students and locals that saw him play. Here he lovingly earned the name ‘The Hacky Sack Man’. His unrelenting pursuit to play in the rain, snow, and sub-zero temperatures made him a local legend.
Derrick was known for his bold actions and words, as well as his use of footbag to spread his message of tolerance and peace. Speaker’s Circle was a place where anyone could go to speak, no matter their beliefs. This drew many different groups, some of which preached extremism and intolerance. During these speeches, Fogle would play footbag next to the speaker, capitalizing on his right to do so. This received praise from both the students and faculty.
As iconic as Derrick was in Columbia, his reach extended far beyond Missouri. He traveled to many footbag events in his career, including the World Footbag Championships and the US Open Footbag Championships. At these events he made numerous contacts and friends, and became revered among the larger footbag community.
Derrick is married to fellow Footbag Hall-of-Famer Ida Fogle. They performed together for many years during the 1980s and 1990s.
Fogle held many, many records and won many tournaments in his footbag career. Below are some, but not all, of his long list of accomplishments.
Competed in and ran tournaments, ran the local Columbia footbag club, and published a newsletter for 15 years.
Held the 9th highest marathon consecutives record at 20,004 kicks.
Was the former Guinness World Record Title Holder in speed consecutive kicks.
Held the 6th highest speed consecutives record at 853 kicks in 5 minutes.
Is the current Guinness World Record Title Holder for Distance Traveled in One Hour While Controlling a Footbag.
Was honored during a UM State of the University Address 2016.
Derrick inspired many players in his long career and taught/practiced with numerous generations of local players, including fellow Hall-of-Famer Ida Fogle, Hall-of-Famer/Big Add Posse member Red Husted, Joe Marschall, Raleigh Green, and Leonard Griswell.
Fogle had a different philosophy than many of his peers when it came to the sport of freestyle footbag. He believed freestyle should not be confined to a certain type of play, such as restricting combinations of tricks to only three ADD moves and above. This contrasted the belief in playing ‘tiltless’ (only 2 ADD moves and higher), and ‘guiltless’ (only 3 ADD moves and higher). He did not agree with being locked into a certain cadence or rhythm that many professional-level players adopted as the sport evolved. This contrasted the Big Add Posse, a group of the best technical freestylers in the world. While the sport went through many changes throughout the years, Derrick remained steadfast to his ideals of free-form play. Ironically, by the 2020s, top-level technical freestyle had become so difficult that a growing number of freestylers embraced a different sort of play, one that focused more on variety, creativity, and performance, and less on pushing the ADD system. In effect, Derrick’s ideals came full circle, decades later.
Derrick has been highlighted in a great many videos, articles, and documentaries. One of his most famous was the Vice segment from 2021.
Derrick Fogle - Vice segment, 2021
He was also displayed on the cover of the music band Post Sex Nachos album Grandpa Slinks.
Post Sex Nachos - Grandpa Slinks album, 2021
Fogle is also prominent on social media and has developed a solid following on Instagram and YouTube.
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/h4x354x0r/
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@h4x354x0r
Derrick Fogle was not only considered the greatest footbag player from the state of Missouri, but also a legendary icon to both the footbag community and the general masses. He was one of the most well-known footbag players in the public eye, thanks to his continued promotion of the sport. For this and all of his other accomplishments, he was inducted into the Footbag Hall of Fame in 2005.
Derrick Fogle