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Joe Ferguson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see: Joe Ferguson (disambiguation).
| Joe Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 23, 1950 |
| Place of birth |  Alvin, Texas |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | Arkansas |
| NFL Draft | 1973 / Round 3/ Pick 57 |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1973-1984 1985-1986 1988-1989 1990 |
Buffalo Bills Detroit Lions Tampa Bay Buccaneers Indianapolis Colts |
Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. (born April 23, 1950 in Alvin, Texas) is a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL. Ferguson played football collegiately at the University of Arkansas, breaking virtually all of the school's passing records and was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive Player of the Year in 1971.
The Buffalo Bills selected Ferguson in the 3rd round of the 1973 NFL Draft. Although he is most famous for playing with the Bills from 1973 to 1984, Ferguson also played two seasons each for the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one final season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Ferguson placed in the top 10 in pass attempts five times, completions and passing yards four times, passing touchdowns six times, and yards per pass three times. He has a 1-2 record in the NFL postseason, winning against the New York Jets in 1981. His two losses came from the Cincinnati Bengals in those same playoffs and the San Diego Chargers the year before in 1980, playing the entire game against the Chargers with a sprained ankle. He retired after the 1990 season after playing only one game with the Colts.
Ferguson's best season came in the 1975 campaign, when he tied Fran Tarkenton for the NFL lead with 25 touchdown passes and compiled a passer rating of 81.3. Ferguson also surpassed 20 touchdown passes on 3 other occasions (1980, 1981 & 1983).
In 1993, Ferguson was inducted into the Bills' Wall of Fame. Seven years earlier, he had been inducted in the National Federation of State High Schools Association's Hall of Fame in 1986 for his outstanding play at the high school level. The number 12 has been retired by the Bills in honor of both Ferguson and Jim Kelly. For several years, he was the head coach of Captain Shreve High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. He has since resigned that position and returned to Ruston.
In May 2005, Ferguson was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and was undergoing treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. But he is now healthy and cancer free for over a year, he gives much credit to his fans.