Ferguson played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers from 1970 to 1972. He set a Wisconsin career record with 2,814 rushing yards. (His career rushing record was broken by Billy Marek in 1975.) As a junior, he rushed for 1,222 yards and was selected by both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) as a first-team running back on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team. As a senior, he rushed for 1,004 yards and was selected by the AP as a first-team player and by the UPI as a second-team player on the 1972 All-Big Ten Conference football team. He received a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin in June 1973.
