Known as Road Runner for his quick bursts out of the backfield,[citation needed] Ferguson played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and was recognized as an All-American.
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 of the American Football Coaches Association.
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 is employed at Richmond Community Schools, and is president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).