D'Brickashaw Ferguson

D'Brickashaw Ferguson

No. 60     New York Jets
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: December 10, 1983 (1983-12-10) (age 27)
Place of birth: Freeport, New York
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	Weight: 310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
College: Virginia
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Debuted in 2006 for the New York Jets
Career history
New York Jets (2006–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl selection (2009, 2010) 2005 College All-American
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2011
Games played	85
Games started	85
Fumbles Recovered	0
Stats at NFL.com

D'Brickashaw Montgomery Ferguson (born December 10, 1983), is an American football left tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jets fourth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Virginia.

Early years

Ferguson attended Freeport High School in the Long Island village of Freeport, New York. He nearly gave up football during his freshman year in high school. With the help of many coaches he made the NFL.^[1]

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ferguson was ranked as the No. 29 offensive guard prospect in the nation.^[2] He chose Virginia over Michigan State.

As a child he appeared on Nickelodeon's Wild and Crazy Kids and rode in a BMX vs. Horses race

College career

At the University of Virginia, Ferguson started his college career listed at 260 pounds (118 kg), often dropping to 245 pounds (111 kg) through the regular season. He started 49 games for the Cavaliers, and he was named to the consensus All-America first team during his final season. He was placed on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference first team two years in a row, and he became Virginia's first All-ACC offensive tackle since 1998. Ferguson started at left tackle in four consecutive bowl games for the Cavaliers. He played linebacker on a special defensive package employed sparingly in 2003. He did this while earning a religious studies degree in only 3.5 years. He was an All-America selection in 2004 by Pro Football Weekly.

Professional career

2006 NFL Draft

Considered an undersized offensive tackle after playing at 295 pounds during his senior year at Virginia,^[1] Ferguson officially weighed in at 312 for the NFL combine.^[3] As an offensive tackle, Ferguson's talent is found in his lower body strength, athleticism and flexibility. This athleticism and flexibility is further evidenced in his attaining a black belt in Shotokan karate and brown belt in taekwondo.^{[citation needed]} Adding to that ability is his natural build, as Ferguson has an armspan of 87 inches (221 cm).

Ferguson was one of six players the NFL invited to New York for the 2006 NFL Draft events. He was selected 4th overall by the New York Jets. The last time the Jets used their first pick on an offensive tackle was 1988, when they selected Dave Cadigan of USC at No. 8.^[4].

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 6 in	312 lb	5.08 s			4.85 s	7.62 s	30 in	8 ft 11 in
All values from Virginia Pro Day on March 21, 2006[5]

New York Jets

Ferguson finally reached the NFL when the New York Jets drafted him with the 4th pick overall after Vince Young was chosen by the Titans. On July 26, 2006, Ferguson signed a five-year deal with the Jets that was similar to the $35 million deal that 2005’s No. 4 pick, Cedric Benson, signed with the Chicago Bears.^[6] Designated as Jason Fabini's successor, Ferguson started every game at left tackle for the Jets since the beginning of the 2006 NFL season. On January 8, 2010 Miami Dolphins Tackle Jake Long withdrew from the 2010 Pro Bowl due to injuries and Ferguson was named as his replacement. He was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl.

Personal

Ferguson is named after Father Ralph de Bricassart, a fictional character in the 1977 novel (and on the 1983 television mini-series) The Thorn Birds, played by Richard Chamberlain.^[1]

Ferguson's home town, Freeport, New York, has dedicated a street to him. On September 29, 2009, South Ocean Avenue, where he grew up, received secondary signage as D'Brickashaw Ferguson Way.^[7] D'Brickashaw Ferguson is a black belt in Karate.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Crouse, Karen (April 17, 2006), "D'Brickashaw Ferguson: The Family Guy", New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/17/sports/football/17ferguson.html 
2. ^ "Rivals100: Offensive guards 2002", Rivals.com, February 5, 2002, http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewrank.asp?ra_key=37 
3. ^ Bell, Jarrett (February 23, 2006), Combine is first stop on Bush's campaign trail, http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-02-23-bush-combine_x.htm 
4. ^ Crouse, Karen (April 30, 2006), "Jets Block Out the Hype and Take Virginia's Ferguson", New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/sports/football/30jets.html 
5. ^ "D'Brickashaw Ferguson Draft Profile", NFLDraftScout.com, http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=11611&draftyear=2006&genpos=OT, retrieved January 18, 2009 
6. ^ Crouse, Karen (July 28, 2006), "Martin Not Quite Ready as the Jets Open Camp", New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/sports/football/28jets.html 
7. ^ D'Brickashaw Ferguson Street Dedication, Freeport, New York official web site. Accessed online 2009-10-26.
8. ^ "D'man Behind D' Name". Sports Illustrated. April 10, 2006. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1110571/index.html. Retrieved 2010-06-11. 

External links

• D'Brickashaw Ferguson on Twitter
• Official Website of D'Brickashaw Ferguson
• New York Jets bio

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jason Fabini	New York Jets Starting Left Tackles 2006–present	Succeeded by Incumbent