Robert Ferguson (American football)

Infobox NFLactive

---

name=Robert Ferguson
currentteam=Minnesota Vikings
currentnumber=89
currentposition=Wide receiver
birthdate=birth date and age|1979|12|17
birthplace=Houston, Texas
heightft=6
heightin=1
weight=209
debutyear=2001
debutteam=Green Bay Packers
college=Texas A&M
draftyear=2001
draftround=2
draftpick=41
pastteams=
* Green Bay Packers (2001-2006)
* Minnesota Vikings (2007-"present")
nfl=FER303120

Robert Charles Ferguson (born December 17, 1979 in Houston, Texas) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

High School

Played free safety and wide receiver at Spring Woods High School in Houston, where he was a four-time letter winner. Was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Houston Touchdown Club as a 1997 senior, when he made 96 tackles and 6 interceptions. On offense, he caught 32 passes for 999 yards and 5 touchdowns during his senior year. Won all-district and All-Greater Houston honors on both sides of the ball. Was named offensive MVP of the Houston Coaches' Classic All-star game the summer after his senior year. Earned four letters for the school's basketball team, earning all-district and all-city honors. Also ran track, where he was the district champion in the long jump.

College

Originally signed as a safety with Texas A&M, but grade troubles forced him to begin his career at Tyler Junior College. Was a junior college All-American in both 1998 and 1999 for TJC. Played safety and receiver but also spent time at cornerback and linebacker. Led the team with 36 receptions for 539 yards during his final year at Tyler.

Established himself as one of the best receivers in the Big 12 Conference while earning first-team conference honors and being named conference Newcomer of the Year during his lone season (2000) at Texas A&M. Was the conference leader in receptions per game and ranked No. 2 in receiving yards.

Was also named the Aggies' offensive MVP when he led the team in catches with 58, receiving yards with 885, receiving touchdowns with 6, and all-purpose yards with 885. His 58 catches ranked No. 3 in school history for a single season, his 885 receiving yards ranked No. 1 and his receiving TD total tied for No. 4. Had three 100-yard receiving games, including 174 against Wyoming which tied for No. 5 in school history. Had a career-best 11 catches against Oklahoma State.

NFL

Green Bay Packers

2001

Selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2nd round (#41 overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, the 9th WR selected. Battled injuries throughout the season and played in only 1 game. Made his NFL debut on a Monday Night Football win at Jacksonville.

2002

Caught his first career TD pass on an 8-yard throw from Brett Favre at Detroit (9/22). Started his first career game against Carolina (9/29) and finished day with 5 catches for 58 yards. Posted his first career 2-TD day against Minnesota (12/8) in a Packers win and also had his first career 100-yard receiving game with 105 yards on 6 catches. Saw action in his first career playoff game against Atlanta (1/4/03) in the NFC Wild Card game and had 3 catches and returned 4 kickoffs for 54 yards. Finished with 3 TDs on 22 receptions for the season.

2003

He enjoyed the best statistical season of his career with 38 receptions and 520 yards with 4 TDs, starting 12 of the 15 games he played. Caught a career-best 7 passes against the Chicago Bears (12/7). Also led the Packers in special teams tackles with 17. Caught an 8-yard pass in the NFC Wild Card win against Seattle (2004-01-04). Caught 2 TD passes in the first quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Philadelphia (1/11/04).

2004

Played in 13 games and made 5 starts. Was the Packers primary kick returner, averaging 25.0 yards per return - 5th-best in the NFC. Caught his lone TD of the season on an 18-yard score vs. Chicago (9/19). Suffered head and neck injuries in game vs. Jacksonville (12/19) on a hit by Donovin Darius at the end of a 31-yard reception that ended with a 2-day hospital stay (Darius was fined $75,000. Ferguson was inactive with head/neck injuries for the final 2 regular season game and NFC Wild Card Playoff against the Vikings.

2005

Began the season strong with 15 catches and 3 TDs in the opening 5 games of the season. Started 7 games in the 11 games he played in, but suffered a knee sprain at Minnesota (10/23) that he battled throughout the rest of the season and eventually kept him out of 5 games. Caught a 37-yard TD catch on a 4th-and-4 play against Tampa Bay (9/25). Caught a 17-yard pass in OT against Detroit (12/11) to set up Ryan Longwell’s game-winning field goal. Caught longest pass of his career, a 51-yarder, against New Orleans (10/9).

2006

After having being a starter alongside Donald Driver during his prime with the Packers, injuries and inconsistency plagued him and he found himself behind Driver and Javon Walker on the depth chart. After Walker was traded, Ferguson was to once again assume the starting job in 2006. He caught 5 passes with a TD in the opening 3 games of the season including a TD on a 4-yard pass from Favre against New Orleans (9/17) but played in only 4 games with 1 start at Detroit (9/24) before being sidelined by a foot injury. Was placed on injured reserve on 10/23/06. In his absence, 2nd round draft pick Greg Jennings emerged as a star. Shortly before the start of the 2007 season, Ferguson was released by the Packers.

Minnesota Vikings

2007

On August 21, 2007 Ferguson signed a one year deal with the Minnesota Vikings.

Ferguson came into Week 14 against the 49ers with just two catches for four yards in his previous three games. He put his struggles behind him with a team-high four catches for 57 yards and his first Minnesota touchdown against the San Francisco, an 19-yard Tarvaris Jackson pass in the second quarter.

2008

On March 15,2008 the Vikings resigned Ferguson to a one year contract. The contract will pay Ferguson close to $1 million and allow for the opportunity to make an additional $600,000 in incentives.

External links

* [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5488 Robert Ferguson at ESPN.com]
* [http://minnesotavikings.com/TeamPlayerProfile_robert_ferguson.aspx Vikings player profile]