Larry P Ferguson (March 19, 1940 – May 31, 2015) was a college football player for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

. He was named a first-team All-American in 1960 and played one season for the Detroit Lions. He has six kids Darrick, Lori, Larry Jr., Vicki, Rachella, and James. He also has 8 grandchildren. Laurel, Camille, Jerome Jr., Christian, Brandon, Alyssa, Cameron, and Edmund Jr.

College career

Larry Ferguson only carried the ball nine times for Iowa as a sophomore in 1959, but he gained national attention as a junior in 1960. He had an 85-yard touchdown run in the season opener against Oregon State, and he had a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown the following week. In Iowa’s final conference game that season, Ferguson had a 91-yard touchdown run against Ohio State to help give Iowa a 35-12 victory and a share of the 1960 Big Ten title. He was voted first-team all-Big Ten and first-team All-American as a junior in 1960. In 1961, Ferguson suffered a season ending knee injury in the first quarter of the first game. He was given a medical redshirt and returned for his senior season in 1962. As a senior in 1962, Larry Ferguson led the Hawkeyes in rushing with 547 yards and was named all-Big Ten. As team captain, he helped lead Iowa to victories over Michigan and Ohio State, the first time Iowa had ever defeated both of those schools in the same season. Ferguson played in the 1963 College All-Star Game. His season average of 7.39 yards per carry in 1960 still stands as a school record. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time

football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Larry Ferguson was an honorable mention selection at running back.

Professional career

Ferguson played one season with the Detroit Lions of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) in 1963. He then played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) from 1964 to 1965 and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL from 1965 to 1967.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Larry 1940 births 2015 deaths American football halfbacks Canadian football running backs African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football Iowa Hawkeyes football players Detroit Lions players Edmonton Elks players Toronto Argonauts players Players of American football from Illinois People from Madison, Illinois 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people