Joe Ferguson

Who is Joe Ferguson?

Joseph Carlton Ferguson, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the NFL.

He played high school football in Shreveport, Louisiana for Woodlawn High School, guiding the Knights to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class AAA state championship in 1968. Ferguson succeeded Terry Bradshaw as Woodlawn's starting quarterback.

Ferguson played college football at the University of Arkansas, where he held the school's single game record for most completions and in that same season was named the Southwest Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.

The Buffalo Bills selected Ferguson in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft. Although he is most famous for playing with the Bills from 1973 to 1984, Ferguson also played three seasons for the Detroit Lions and two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one final season with the Indianapolis Colts.

Ferguson placed in the top 10 in pass attempts five times, completions and passing yards four times, passing touchdowns six times, and yards per pass three times. At one time he shared, with Ron Jaworski, the NFL record for consecutive starts by a quarterback with 107, until he was replaced by Joe Dufek on September 30, 1984. He has a 1-3 record in the NFL postseason, winning against the New York Jets in 1981. His three losses came from the Cincinnati Bengals in those same playoffs, the San Diego Chargers the year before in 1980, and in 1974 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He retired after the 1990 season after playing only one game with the Colts.