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 1959 Howie Ferguson football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 | |||||||||||||
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| Positions | Fullback Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1930-08-05)August 5, 1930 New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | December 18, 2005(2005-12-18) (aged 75) New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | New Iberia (New Iberia, Louisiana) | ||||||||||||
| College | None | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1952: undrafted | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL/AFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Howard Ferguson Jr. (August 5, 1930 – December 18, 2005) was an American professionalfootball player. He played as afullback andhalfback for six seasons in theNational Football League (NFL) with theGreen Bay Packers and one season in theAmerican Football League (AFL) with theLos Angeles Chargers. He was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
Ferguson grew up inLouisiana, where he competed in football, basketball, baseball, and boxing at New Iberia High School. He enlisted in the Navy on Jan. 8, 1948 and served during the Korean War as a member of the frogman underwater demolition team. During the off-season, he worked as an oil field worker in New Iberia. Although he never playedcollege football, Ferguson was discovered while playing football for the Navy in California by a scout for the NFL'sLos Angeles Rams. He had played football with the Navy League Amphibian Division and was an MVP, earning second-team All-Navy honors two years in a row.) After playing four years of service football, the Navy discharged Ferguson on Jan. 7, 1952, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams on June 11 and was waived on Sept. 19.[1] The Rams signed him, but he was released prior to the 1952 season and then was signed by theGreen Bay Packers as a free agent in 1953. The 6'2", 210-pound Ferguson gained 2,120 yards rushing and 1,079 yards receiving with the Packers between 1953 and 1958.
In 1955, Ferguson had over 1,000 yards combined rushing and receiving for the Packers, earning him a spot on the Pro Bowl roster as a fullback alongsideHeisman Trophy winner and NFL Rookie of the YearAlan Ameche of theBaltimore Colts. Ferguson retired in 1959 after multiple injuries but had a brief comeback in 1960 during the inaugural season of theLos Angeles Chargers of theAmerican Football League (AFL). In 1974 Howard Ferguson was inducted into theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame.