Vasquero Diaz "Vagas" Ferguson (born March 6, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Ferguson played college football for the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the

1980 NFL Draft The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980, at the New York Sh ...

, and played professionally for the New England Patriots,

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

, and

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

of the NFL. Ferguson was born in Richmond, Indiana. Ferguson was named the outstanding offensive player of the 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic, which Notre Dame won 38-10 over Texas. In 1979, his senior season at Notre Dame, Ferguson was voted to the

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

of the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

. That year, he was the fifth ranked player in the nation in yards per rush and finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. He ranks third all-time for total yards gained (3,472) among Notre Dame running backs, having averaged 5.2 yards per carry.University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site: All-Time Leaders, http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/nd-m-fb-a-atl.html, URL accessed May 31, 2006. Ferguson currently resides in Richmond, Indiana. He is employed in the athletic department at Richmond High School, and is president of the local chapter of the

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...

(NAACP). He is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Vagas 1957 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Chicago Blitz players Cleveland Browns players Houston Oilers players New England Patriots players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Players of American football from Indiana Sportspeople from Richmond, Indiana