Duke Fergerson Duke Fergerson ( born April 21 , 1954 in Boise , Idaho ) is a former professional American football wide receiver who played in four National Football League seasons from 1977 - 1980 for the Seattle Seahawks and the Buffalo Bills . He was drafted in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft out of San Diego State University . Fergerson placed second in the second fastest Low hurdle races in the history of high school track and field during his senior year . However , due to an inability to read and write , Fergerson was prevented from earning an academic / athletic scholarship to attend college . Fergerson was raised in Merced , California . In 1986 , The Boston Globe ranked Merced as the second worst city in America . Upon his high school graduation , Duke Fergerson began his adult life as a functional illiterate with a combine SAT score of 580 from the “ second worst city in America . ” To address his academic deficit , at age 18 , Fergerson enrolled to take remedial English and math classes . Within a year and because of his academic performance , Fergerson was offered a full athletic scholarship to attend the following Universities : Stanford , Washington State University , UCLA , Duke University , and University of Alabama , Fergerson chose Washington State University to play college football , and majored in Political Science with a minor in US history . Two years later , Fergerson transferred to San Diego State University and graduated with a BA degree in Political Science and minor in US history . During his 4 year college career , Fergerson wrote his senior thesis on US ’ s Involvement in Angola ; selected to participate in the prestigious North - South , Senior Bowl - where Fergerson scored two touchdowns for the North squad ; finished as the NCAA ’ s third leading wide receiver in receptions ; and drafted in the 3rd round by the Dallas Cowboys . One year later , in exchange for Seattle ’ s rights to draft Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett , the Dallas Cowboys traded Fergerson as the key player in a transaction . After 5 years in the NFL , Fergerson began working in the insurance industry for Farmer Insurance Group . Within six months , Fergerson sold more commercial insurance products than Farmer ’ s number commercial producer : Seymour Brodell . Fergerson then moved on to work for Professional Asset Securities : A Del Mar , California based company whose primary line of business was to advised and manage excess liquidly for banks , foodservices companies , trusts and pension funds . Within two years , Fergerson ’ s bonus payout exceeded that of his salary made while playing in the NFL . Fergerson then decided to apply to graduate school to earn a MBA . Fergerson applied to three schools , Wharton , University of Chicago and Harvard Business School . While UC wait listed Fergerson , Wharton and HBS accepted him for entering class 1987 . In the year before entering HBS , Fergerson worked as a Ward Coordinator , political fundraiser and get - out the – vote organizer for Joseph P . Kennedy ’ s first congressional run for political office . Fergerson ’ s responsibility included the Fenway , Back Bay , South End and Beacon Hill communities where Joe Kennedy could only master 18 % of the vote — No Kennedy in the history of Boston had ever had such a poor political showing prior to an election . Polls showed Mel King , a 29 year incumbent State rep . and one other opponent as having 34 . 2 % each . During the course over nine months of ‘ grass roots ’ organizing , Fergerson had re - positioned Joe and his message to reflect the needs of the community , while producing a fund raising concert with Dizzy Gillespie as the performer at the Howard Johnson ’ s restaurant on Memorial Dr . in Cambridge , Ma . On Election Day , district - wide Joe Kennedy won by a landslide . In the communities where he could only master 18 % of the vote prior to election , Fergerson had improved his market share to 34 . 7 % of the vote . He beat state rep . Mel King by two votes . For the next 10 years , Fergerson would be mentored by Pulitzer Prize author Doris Kerns - Goodwin and her husband , the former Presidential speech writer for late John F . Kennedy and the late NY Senator , Robert F . Kennedy and Lyndon B . Johnson , Richard N . Goodwin . Fergerson entered HBS in the September 1987 . In the summer between June and September 1988 , Fergerson worked for Congressional Majority Whip Tony Coelho , where he authored the Minimum Wage issues paper for the Democratic House and Senate . The minimum wage legislation was passed . In January 1988 , Fergerson was awarded the Learner of the Month citation for overcoming illiteracy . On November 15 , 1988 , Fergerson was invited to Washington DC to receive a citation from Governors William Jefferson Clinton and George Kean ; as well as to meet President elect George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush . Fergerson returned to HBS where he was diagnosed as the “ most dyslexic student Harvard had seen in thirty years . ” HBS asked Fergerson to withdraw return from Harvard Business School . Fergerson began his post Harvard career by working with the late Film producer Harold Schneider . Upon Harold ’ s death , Fergerson returned to the financial services industry to make a living , but continue to learn the film business . Fergerson spent the next 7 years as a consultant in the banking and foodservice industries . In San Diego California , Fergerson put together a group investors and signed an eight store development agree with American Favorite Chicken . In 1994 , Fergerson joined the Al Checchi for Governor Campaign . Fergerson spent the next year and half as one of Al ’ s ‘ kitchen cabinet ’ advisers . Fergerson was campaign director for Orange County , San Diego County and Northern Mexico . After Checchi ’ s defeat , Fergerson returned to the east coast and moved to the community of Harlem . In conjunction with the Staubach Real Estate Company , Fergerson worked to develop living wage opportunities for residents of Harlem . Upon arriving in Harlem , a 17 year old Harlem youth asked he where he could play football . When Fergerson discovered that Harlem had not had high football for 62 years , he immediately called all Harlem based 13 Principals . He then devised and presented a plan to the Chancellor of the NYCDOE , that would united all 13 high schools into one community high school football team . — It had never been done and all prior attempts had failed . It would take the Governor , the State Assembly , the Teachers ' Union or Chancellor Klein to approve of Fergerson ’ s plan . Nine months later , the Chancellor signed a waver allowing the Harlem Hell - fighters to organize as a scholar / athlete program to serve the needs of the at - risk urban males of color . Within three years of participating in the Public School Athletic League , Fergerson took the 2007 Hell - fighter to the city championship game against John Adams high school - - - a school with a seventy year football tradition . Although the inexperienced Hell - fighters lost 58 - 42 , the game signified a watershed moment in Harlem ’ s history : In forty - eight minutes of play , Harlem was able to erase an achievement deficit from 66 years to 16 points . The Hell - fighters program had more D1a athletes being recruited by Ivy League institutions than any program in New York State . The QB was Harvard ’ s University # 1 recruit at that position ; the TE is also recruited by Harvard , another was wooed by Cornell . At the season ’ s conclusion and three remain undecided as to which Ivy best suites their academic ambition . The Harlem Hell - fighters ’ football program is the only NY state high school program to place any of its players in Hargrove Military Academy . In January 2007 , he became the only NYS high school football coach ever chosen to coach in the prestigious US High School Army All - America Bowl game in San Antonio , Texas . In March 2007 , he was given a lifetime achievement award by the Wheeler school in Providence , Rhode Island . In September 2007 , he was chosen by Universal - McCann Erickson and the US Army as a COI : Center of Influence in aiding the Army ’ s urban outreach programs . he was asked to meet with the Secretary of the Army in January 2008 and travel to the Pentagon to meet with Army brass in April 2008 . In addition to coaching the Hell fighters , Fergerson has returned to the private sector and is seeking to establish a Hospitality and Culinary school in Harlem .