Fox 40 Celebrates 25 Years in 2012
Jan. 2, 2012 — Ron Foxcroft, founder and CEO of Fox 40 International and special advisor for the NASO board of directors, has always adhered to a promise that he made more than 25 years ago after he and design engineer Chuck Shepherd finally settled on the prototype whistle they were ready to unveil to sports officials, mainly college basketball referees. In a nutshell, the promise was “improvement.”
Foxcroft and Shepherd spent about three-and-a-half years together designing the first Fox 40 whistle in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Foxcroft invested about $100,000 from his own private funds and, in 1987, created Fox 40 International Inc.
The whistle is a plastic-molded injection process that is ultrasonically welded together, rather than glued. There were 14 prototypes, “and a lot of heartache,” says Foxcroft. But when the two settled on a pealess whistle that would become an instant hit with sports officials, Shepherd had one request for Foxcroft. The engineer stood up, looked Foxcroft in the eyes and asked to shake his hand. “You know, I’m associated with over 200 successful commercial products,” he said to Foxcroft. “Ron, we have just designed the best whistle in the world. Will you promise me that you will dedicate your life to improving it?”
The Fox 40 Pealess Whistle was a success from the first time it was used, at the 1987 Pan Am Games in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Police Department soon became interested in using the new whistle. It was used at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and by 1990, the pealess whistle was tested by the NHL and had become the whistle of choice for the NBA, NCAA and NFL.
Foxcroft has made many improvements to that first prototype whistle, like adding an upper ridge to help prevent the whistle from slipping, a cushioned mouth grip, various models with finger grips and a variety of colors.
The Fox 40 whistle, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has gone beyond the officiating world and into more than 140 countries. Fox 40 whistles are used by coaches, water safety, search and rescue teams, personal security, animal trainers and sports enthusiasts as well as the outdoor market and the premium incentive market. The Fox 40 is an approved and recommended sound-signaling device for the Coast Guards worldwide.
“We are never satisfied and we are going to honor that pledge we made 25 years ago to Chuck Shepherd to dedicate our lives to making our products better,” said Foxcroft, a former NCAA Division I basketball referee. “We look forward to many, many more improvements over the next 25 years.”