Larry Pearly Ferguson (March 19, 1940 – May 31, 2015) was a

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player for the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, 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 int ...

. He was named a first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in 1960 and played one season for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL), as well as five seasons in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) with the Edmonton Eskimos and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

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

of the

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

(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 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 sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen