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Rufus Ferguson

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Rufus Ferguson
Personal information
Born: (1951-04-28) April 28, 1951 (age 73)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Miami Killian (Kendall, Florida)
College:Wisconsin (19701972)
Position:Running back
NFL draft:1973 / round: 16 / pick: 404
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards

Rufus Ferguson (born April 28, 1951), nicknamed "the Roadrunner", is a former American football running back.

Early years

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Ferguson was born in Miami, Florida, in 1951 and played high school football at Miami Killian High School.

University of Wisconsin

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Ferguson played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1970 to 1972. He set a Wisconsin career record with 2,814 rushing yards.[1] (His career rushing record was broken by Billy Marek in 1975.) As a junior, he rushed for 1,222 yards and was selected by both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) as a first-team running back on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[1][2][3][4] As a senior, he rushed for 1,004 yards and was selected by the AP as a first-team player and by the UPI as a second-team player on the 1972 All-Big Ten Conference football team.[1][5][6] He received a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin in June 1973.[7]

Professional football

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He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 16th round of the 1973 NFL draft,[8] but he was cut during the preseason, after being deemed too short (listed as either five feet, four inches[9] five feet, five inches,[10] or five feet, six inches[8]) for the NFL.

He signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League in September 1973,[10] but he was cut by the team later that month.[11]

Ferguson was drafted by the Portland Storm of the newly-formed World Football League.[9] During the 1974 WFL season, Ferguson ranked fourth in the league in rushing with 1,200 yards and led the Storm with 53 pass receptions.[12]

In June 1975, he signed with the Portland Thunder (WFL).[13] When the WFL folded prior to the end of the 1975 season, Ferguson was the Thunder's leading rusher with 768 yards and also had 32 receptions.[12] He became known in Portland for his touchdown dance that was known as either the "Roadrunner Shuffle" or the "Thunderbolt Shuffle".[12]

Later years

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Ferguson's son, Rhadi Ferguson, was born in 1975 and became a martial arts champion.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rufus Ferguson". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  2. ^ "All Big Ten Selected". Daily Illini. November 24, 1971.
  3. ^ "Sports Whirl". The Daily News of the Virgin Islands. November 24, 1971.
  4. ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Dominate UPI Team Picked by Coaches: Ohio State Places 7 On All-Big Ten Teams". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. November 25, 1971. p. 9D.
  5. ^ "Wells named to All-Big Ten team". The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois). November 28, 1972.
  6. ^ "UM, State, Buckeyes Dominate UPI's All Big Ten Team". Ludington Daily News (UPI story). November 28, 1972. p. 5.
  7. ^ "Rufus on Lucey's staff". The Post-Crescent. October 6, 1973. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b "Late Selection Bothers Rufus". Fond du Lac (WI) Reporter. February 1, 1973. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  9. ^ a b Larry Hamel (August 23, 1974). "Storm's Ferguson Too Good, Not 'Too Short'". Sentinel-Star. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ a b "briefly". The Brandon Sun. September 11, 1973. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ "untitled". Argus-Leader. September 30, 1973. p. 36.
  12. ^ a b c "Rufus Ferguson Eyes Career In The NFL". The La Crosse (WI) Tribune. November 20, 1975. p. 32.
  13. ^ "Rufus Ferguson Signs". Harford Courant. June 18, 1975. p. 58.
  14. ^ "Judo master sharpens skills for Athens". The Palm Beach Post. August 6, 2004. p. 2C.