Duke Fergerson

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 placed second in the second fastest Low hurdle races in the history of high school track and field during his senior year. However, due to an inability to read and write, Fergerson was prevented from earning an academic/athletic scholarship to attend college. Fergerson was raised in Merced, California. In 1986, The Boston Globe ranked Merced as the second worst city in America. Upon his high school graduation, Duke Fergerson began his adult life as a functional illiterate with a combine SAT score of 580 from the “second worst city in America.”

To address his academic deficit, at age 18, Fergerson enrolled to take remedial English and math classes. Within a year and because of his academic performance, Fergerson was offered a full athletic scholarship to attend the following Universities: Stanford, Washington State University, UCLA, Duke University, and University of Alabama, Fergerson chose Washington State University to play college football, and majored 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 and minor in US history. During his 4 year college career, Fergerson wrote his senior thesis on US’s Involvement in Angola; selected to participate in the prestigious North-South, Senior Bowl-where Fergerson scored two touchdowns for the North squad; finished as the NCAA’s third leading wide receiver in receptions; and drafted in the 3rd round by the Dallas Cowboys. One year later, in exchange for Seattle’s rights to draft Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett, the Dallas Cowboys traded Fergerson as the key player in a transaction.

After 5 years in the NFL, Fergerson began working in the insurance industry for Farmer Insurance Group. Within six months, Fergerson sold more commercial insurance products than Farmer’s number commercial producer: Seymour Brodell. Fergerson then moved on to work for Professional Asset Securities: A Del Mar, California based company whose primary line of business was to advised and manage excess liquidly for banks, foodservices companies, trusts and pension funds. Within two years, Fergerson’s bonus payout exceeded that of his salary made while playing in the NFL.

Fergerson then decided to apply to graduate school to earn a MBA. Fergerson applied to three schools, Wharton, University of Chicago and Harvard Business School. While UC wait listed Fergerson, Wharton and HBS accepted him for entering class 1987.

In the year before entering HBS, Fergerson worked as a Ward Coordinator, political fundraiser and get-out the –vote organizer for Joseph P. Kennedy’s first congressional run for political office. Fergerson’s responsibility included the Fenway, Back Bay, South End and Beacon Hill communities where Joe Kennedy could only master 18% of the vote—No Kennedy in the history of Boston had ever had such a poor political showing prior to an election.

Polls showed Mel King, a 29 year incumbent State rep. and one other opponent as having 34.2% each. During the course over nine months of ‘grass roots’ organizing, Fergerson had re-positioned Joe and his message to reflect the needs of the community, while producing a fund raising concert with Dizzy Gillespie as the performer at the Howard Johnson’s restaurant on Memorial Dr. in Cambridge, Ma.

On Election Day, district-wide Joe Kennedy won by a landslide. In the communities where he could only master 18% of the vote prior to election, Fergerson had improved his market share to 34.7% of the vote. He beat state rep. Mel King by two votes. For the next 10 years, Fergerson would be mentored by Pulitzer Prize author Doris Kerns-Goodwin and her husband, the former Presidential speech writer for late John F. Kennedy and the late NY Senator, Robert F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard N. Goodwin.

Fergerson entered HBS in the September 1987. In the summer between June and September 1988, Fergerson worked for Congressional Majority Whip Tony Coelho, where he authored the Minimum Wage issues paper for the Democratic House and Senate. The minimum wage legislation was passed. In January 1988, Fergerson was awarded the Learner of the Month citation for overcoming illiteracy. On November 15, 1988, Fergerson was invited to Washington DC to receive a citation from Governors William Jefferson Clinton and George Kean; as well as to meet President elect George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush.

Fergerson returned to HBS where he was diagnosed as the “most dyslexic student Harvard had seen in thirty years.” HBS asked Fergerson to withdraw return from Harvard Business School.

Fergerson began his post Harvard career by working with the late Film producer Harold Schneider. Upon Harold’s death, Fergerson returned to the financial services industry to make a living, but continue to learn the film business. Fergerson spent the next 7 years as a consultant in the banking and foodservice industries. In San Diego California, Fergerson put together a group investors and signed an eight store development agree with American Favorite Chicken.

In 1994, Fergerson joined the Al Checchi for Governor Campaign. Fergerson spent the next year and half as one of Al’s ‘kitchen cabinet’ advisers. Fergerson was campaign director for Orange County, San Diego County and Northern Mexico. After Checchi’s defeat, Fergerson returned to the east coast and moved to the community of Harlem.

In conjunction with the Staubach Real Estate Company, Fergerson worked to develop living wage opportunities for residents of Harlem. Upon arriving in Harlem, a 17 year old Harlem youth asked he where he could play football.

When Fergerson discovered that Harlem had not had high football for 62 years, he immediately called all Harlem based 13 Principals. He then devised and presented a plan to the Chancellor of the NYCDOE, that would united all 13 high schools into one community high school football team.—It had never been done and all prior attempts had failed. It would take the Governor, the State Assembly, the Teachers' Union or Chancellor Klein to approve of Fergerson’s plan.

Nine months later, the Chancellor signed a waver allowing the Harlem Hell-fighters to organize as a scholar/athlete program to serve the needs of the at-risk urban males of color.

Within three years of participating in the Public School Athletic League, Fergerson took the 2007 Hell-fighter to the city championship game against John Adams high school--- a school with a seventy year football tradition. Although the inexperienced Hell-fighters lost 58-42, the game signified a watershed moment in Harlem’s history: In forty-eight minutes of play, Harlem was able to erase an achievement deficit from 66 years to 16 points. The Hell-fighters program had more D1a athletes being recruited by Ivy League institutions than any program in New York State. The QB was Harvard’s University #1 recruit at that position; the TE is also recruited by Harvard, another was wooed by Cornell. At the season’s conclusion and three remain undecided as to which Ivy best suites their academic ambition. The Harlem Hell-fighters’ football program is the only NY state high school program to place any of its players in Hargrove Military Academy. In January 2007, he became the only NYS high school football coach ever chosen to coach 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 Wheeler school in Providence, Rhode Island. In September 2007, he was chosen by Universal-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 the Army in January 2008 and travel to the Pentagon to meet with Army brass in April 2008. In addition to coaching the Hell fighters, Fergerson has returned to the private sector and is seeking to establish a Hospitality and Culinary school in Harlem.