[1] His father, Willard, worked at Fisher Body; his mother, Elsie, was a housewife who was also employed by Pet, Inc.[1][2] He attended Cleveland High School,[2] where he played baseball, before concentrating on basketball.

[1] Having been recruited by Eddie Hickey, Ferry then studied at Saint Louis University, where he received All-America honors during his senior year in 1959.

[2][3] Ferry made his NBA debut on October 24, 1959,[3] scoring one point on a free throw against the Minneapolis Lakers.

After four seasons with the Pistons, he was traded to the Baltimore Bullets along with Bailey Howell, Les Hunter, Wali Jones, and Don Ohl in an eight-player blockbuster deal on June 18, 1964, that included future Hall of Famer Rod Thorn.

Ferry ultimately played ten seasons in the NBA with the Hawks, Pistons, and Bullets, scoring 5,780 points to go along with 906 assists and 3,343 rebounds.

[3] After retiring as a player at the end of the 1968–69 season due to an injury, Ferry remained with the Bullets and initially served as a scout and assistant coach to Gene Shue.

[1][7] Ferry quit as the Bullets GM on June 12, 1990,[5] on the heels of two subpar seasons, having come to a mutual agreement with Pollin that the franchise was in need of a change in administration.