Duke Fergerson American football player
Duke Fergerson (born April 21, 1954 in Boise, Idaho) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played in four National Football League seasons from 1977-1980 for the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills. He was drafted in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft out of San Diego State University.Fergerson was raised by his single mother in Merced, California and attended Merced High School. A track runner, Fergerson recorded the second fastest low hurdle time in the history of high school track during his senior year. He was even more successful as a football player, but dyslexia prevented him from earning a student-athlete scholarship. Even though he earned a diploma, his combined SAT score of 580 essentially qualified him as a functional illiterate at graduation.To address his academic deficits, at age 18, Fergerson enrolled in remedial Englishand math classes and made such dramatic progress in a year that Stanford, Washington State, UCLA, Duke, and the University of Alabama all offered him full athletic scholarships. Fergerson chose Washington State University to play college football andmajored in Political Science with a minor in US History. Two years later, Fergerson transferred to San Diego State University and graduated with a BA degree in Political Science with a minor in US history. He wrote his senior thesis on the US’s involvement in Angola. As an Aztec, he caught 57 passes for 886 yards and four touchdowns. He was selected toparticipate in the prestigious North-South Senior Bowl, where Fergerson scored twotouchdowns for the North squad. Finishing as the NCAA’s third leading wide receiverin receptions, he was drafted in the 3rd round by the Dallas Cowboys. One year later, in exchange forSeattle’s rights to draft Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, the Dallas Cowboystraded Fergerson as the key player in that transaction.After 5 years in the NFL, Fergerson began working in the insurance industry for FarmerInsurance Group. Within six months, Fergerson sold more commercial insurance productsthan Farmer’s number one commercial producer, Seymour Brodell. Fergerson then moved on towork for Professional Asset Securities, a Del Mar, California based company whoseprimary line of business was to advise and manage excess liquidity for banks,foodservices companies, trusts and pension funds. In 1986, Fergerson worked as a Ward Coordinator, politicalfundraiser and get-out-the–vote organizer for Joseph Patrick Kennedy II’s firstcongressional run for political office. Fergerson’s responsibilities included the Fenway,Back Bay, South End and Beacon Hill, communities where Kennedy could only muster18% of the vote. No Kennedy in the history of Boston had ever had such a poorpolitical showing prior to an election. Polls showed Mel King, a 29 year incumbent state representative, and one other opponent ashaving 34.2% each. Over the course of nine months of grass roots organizing,Fergerson had re-positioned Kennedy and his message to reflect the needs of the community,while producing a fund raising concert with Dizzy Gillespie as the performer at theHoward Johnson’s restaurant on Memorial Dr. in Cambridge, Ma. On Election Day, district-wide, Kennedy won in a landslide, with Fergerson's communities polling at 34.7%. For thenext 10 years, Fergerson would be mentored by Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kerns-Goodwinand her husband Richard, the former Presidential speech writer for the late John F. Kennedy,the late New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Fergerson then entered Harvard Business School to earn an MBA in 1987. In the summer between June and September1988, Fergerson worked for Congressional Majority Whip Tony Coelho, for whom he authored theMinimum Wage issues paper for the Democratic House and Senate. The minimum wagelegislation was passed. In January 1988, Fergerson was awarded the Learner of the Monthcitation for overcoming illiteracy. On November 15, 1988, Fergerson was invited toWashington, DC to receive a citation from Governors William Jefferson Clinton andGeorge Kean and to meet President-elect George Bush and First Lady BarbaraBush. Despite these honors, Harvard Business School dubbed him the “most dyslexic student Harvardhad seen in thirty years” and asked him to withdraw.Fergerson began his post Harvard career by working with the late film producer HaroldSchneider. Upon Harold’s death, Fergerson returned to the financial services industry tomake a living, but continued to learn the film business. Fergerson spent the next seven yearsas a consultant in the banking and food service industries. In San Diego, California,Fergerson put together a group of investors and signed an eight store development agreement withAmerica's Favorite Chicken, now Popeye's. In 1994, Fergerson joined the Al Checchi for Governor Campaign. Fergerson spent the next yearand a half as one of Al’s ‘kitchen cabinet’ advisers. Fergerson was campaign director forOrange County, San Diego County and Northern Mexico. After Checchi’s defeat, Fergersonreturned to the east coast and moved to the community of Harlem. In conjunction with the Staubach Real Estate Company, Fergerson worked to develop livingwage opportunities for residents of Harlem.Upon arriving in Harlem, Fergerson was approached by a 17 year oldHarlem youth who asked where he could play football. When Fergerson discovered that Harlem had not had high school football for 62 years, he called all 13 Harlem-based principals and devised and presented aplan to the Chancellor of the NYCDOE that would unite them all intoone community high school football team. Nine months later, Chancellor Klein signed the waiver allowing the Harlem Hell-fightersto organize as a scholar/athlete program to serve the needs of the at-risk urbanmales of color. Within three years of participating in the Public School Athletic League, Fergerson tookthe 2007 Hellfighters to the city championship game against John Adams HighSchool, a school with a seventy year football tradition. Although theinexperienced Hell-fighters lost 58-42, the game signified a watershed moment inHarlem’s history: in forty-eight minutes of play, Harlem was able to erase anachievement deficit from 66 years to 16 points. The Hellfighters program had moreD1a athletes being recruited by Ivy League institutions than any program in New YorkState. In 2007, the quarterback was Harvard’s University #1 recruit at that position, the tight end was alsorecruited by Harvard, and another player was wooed by Cornell. At the season’s conclusion,the three remained undecided as to which Ivy League school best suited their academic ambition. TheHarlem Hellfighters football program is the only New York state high school program toplace any of its players in Hargrove Military Academy.In January 2007, Fergerson became the only New York state high school football coach ever chosen tocoach in the prestigious US High School Army All-America Bowl game in San Antonio,Texas. In March 2007, he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Wheelerschool in Providence, Rhode Island, and in September 2007, he was chosen byUniversal-McCann Erickson and the US Army as a COI: Center of Influence in aiding the Army’s urban outreach programs. He was asked to meet with the Secretary of theArmy in January 2008 and travel to the Pentagon to meet with Army brass in April2008. Since coaching the Hellfighters, Fergerson has returned to the private sectorand is seeking to establish a hospitality and culinary school in Harlem.