FRC team 4043 was founded at McMinnville High School's Engineering and Aerospace Sciences Academy (EASA) in the fall of 2011. They were coached by teacher Juanita Clarno and housed in the EASA classrooms at the Evergreen Space Museum. Their first uniforms were their school uniforms of khakis and black EASA polo shirts.
In 2012, NerdHerd won the Rookie Inspiration Award at the PNW Regional Competition. Their Rookie Allstar Award at the Las Vegas Regional Competition qualified them for the World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Evergreen founder Del Smith flew the team from McMinnville to St. Louis in his Gulf Stream.
By 2015 NerdHerd was back in form, appearing regularly in the community and in awards ceremonies.
In 2022 we had problems with our workshop, causing us to have to have to try to work in the Coach's garage before finally moving back into our workshop, leading to us having roughly half the actual build season to work on the robot. We still (mostly) got it ready on time with some additions after the first competition.
In the fall of 2017 NerdHerd started the transition that would allow it to open up membership to any interested high school student in Yamhill County. As EASA students focused on the smaller FTC robots NerdHerd moved their build site out of the classrooms and into Coach Eagan's basement, and kitchen, and living room and ... well most of Coach's house.
Sadly, after NerdHerd's successful Rookie Year, Coach Clarno needed to focus on her growing family and a new Coach was needed. Following the impromptu election night recruitment party the DDA Alicia Eagan agreed to be our Coach. At the request of her son Senior Zachary Eagan, she committed to two years of Nerddom (or maybe it was Herddom). She promptly christened 2013 and 2014 as the rebuilding years based on the numbers of senior team members that graduated prior to those years.