Blake Ferguson Wins National Award

[LSUDad]

LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson wins national award

 Adam Spencer 

1 min ago

 

 

 

Long snappers are often unappreciated, only getting noticed when a snap goes horribly wrong.

However, LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson was one of the best this year, and he got some national recognition on Wednesday night.

As you can see below, the David Binn Award, which is given annually to the best college long snapper of the year, announced via Twitter that Ferguson was this year’s winner:

Ferguson has been an iron man for the Tigers during his career, handling almost every snap that needed to be made.

He’s certainly deserving of this award, and he’ll still have his redshirt senior season next year to try to defend the honor.

[LSUDad]

More about Blake: 

 

In nearly 20 years at Children’s, I have taken care of countless patients and worked on hundreds of research studies. Every patient and project has been special. But some kids stand out in a crowd.

Blake Ferguson is one of those patients.

He was diagnosed at Children’s with Type 1 diabetes in January 2011 at age 13. During his hospital stay, we approached his family about participating in the START trial, a diabetes research study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The trial’s goal is to preserve beta cells, which are responsible for making insulin for the body. This could help diabetics take fewer insulin shots.

Despite several challenges of the trial, including five days in the hospital, 12-hour infusions of the drug thymoglobulin and various uncomfortable side effects, the family still wanted to participate. Blake enrolled in the trial in April 2011 during his spring break so he wouldn’t miss any school. His mom, Tracy, decked out his room with spring training baseball decorations and palm trees.

The research we do at Children’s would not be possible without patients like Blake. We have more than 1,000 clinical research studies taking place in our hospitals and clinical locations.

For two years, Blake kept follow-up appointments as often as weekly and as long as six hours. The Fergusons never missed an appointment or an email check-in. His blood sugars and insulin doses were logged impeccably.

Blake never let his disease get him down. He and his older brother, Reid, were avid football players. Blake always said he was going to keep playing despite having diabetes. He was able to manage his sugars, carbohydrates and injections despite a busy schedule of workouts and games.

Reid earned a full scholarship to Louisiana State University as a long snapper. Blake is following in his brother’s footsteps. Last summer, LSU offered Blake a scholarship to be a long snapper.

The research we do at Children’s would not be possible without patients like Blake. We have more than 1,000 clinical research studies taking place in our hospitals and clinical locations. Our clinical and research teams work together every day to develop lifesaving treatments and cures for childhood illnesses. In partnership with Emory University’s Department of Pediatrics, we have received more than $26 million from the NIH and more than $43 million in total support for research.

While Blake is on his way to making a big impact on the football field for LSU, he has already made a big impact on our research here at Children’s.

[LSUDad]

https://www.tigertv.tv/sports/blake-ferguson-college-long-snapper-of-the-year-snaps-diabetes/article_3101de90-0c8a-11e9-abb4-039b6ccfb077.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share

[LSUDad]

Ferguson to Represent SEC at NCAA Convention

January 22, 2019, 02:08 PM (CT)Updated: January 22, 2019, 02:09 PM (CT)

 

Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette)
Assoc. Athletic Director/Communications

 

BATON ROUGE – LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson has been selected to represent the Southeastern Conference at the NCAA Convention in Orlando on January 23-26.

Ferguson, who recently completed his third season as the starting long snapper for the Tigers, is one of three representatives from SEC schools. He will be joined by Khristian Carr, a former member of the Mississippi State volleyball team and Haley Lorenzen, a former member of the Florida women’s basketball team.

The three student-athletes will represent the SEC as part of the Autonomy Conferences’ (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) efforts to engage and empower student-athletes by giving them both a voice and vote within a transparent decision-making process.

The autonomy governance model grants flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change specified rules within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes three student-athlete representatives from each conference who will vote on rule changes. Voting on autonomy issues includes 15 total student-athletes (three from each of the Autonomy Conferences) who, collectively, will cast votes in greater number than four of the five Autonomy Conferences.

Ferguson, from Buford, Ga., serves as the Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council and is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Ferguson graduated in May 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. He was named winner of the 2018 David Binn Award, which recognizes the nation’s best long snapper.

Carr, Ferguson and Lorenzen will vote on a total of 11 NCAA Autonomy proposals leading up to and during the NCAA Convention.

[LSUDad]

More on Blake...

 

Ferguson Again named SEC Football Leadership Chair

February 14, 2019, 01:43 PM (CT)Updated: February 14, 2019, 01:45 PM (CT)

 

Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette)
Assoc. Athletic Director/Communications

 

BATON ROUGE – For the second-straight year, LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson has been elected to serve as the chair of the Southeastern Conference Football Leadership council, the league office announced on Thursday.

Ferguson, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration after graduating in the spring of 2018 with a degree in marketing, recently finished his first term as the chair of the football leadership council.

Ole Piss’ Mohamed Sanogo has been named vice chair of the group.

Ferguson and Sanogo were selected by a vote of their peers at a meeting of the Council held recently at the SEC offices in Birmingham. The pair will attend a portion of the Conference’s Spring Meetings in May.

The Football Leadership Council is one of three components of the SEC Student-Athlete Leadership Council. The other two components are the Men's and Women's Basketball Leadership Councils. Student-Athlete Leadership Councils were introduced for the sports of football and men’s and women’s basketball, which, in addition to the conference’s longstanding Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), provide student-athletes with additional opportunities to engage with campus leaders and conference office staff. The councils serve as a conduit of communication to the conference office on issues related to student-athlete experience and student-athlete wellness.

Ferguson, from Buford, Ga., recently completed his third season as LSU’s long snapper. He’s been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times as well as being named a first-team All-America by Phil Steele for 2018.

Ferguson represented the SEC on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA's Division I autonomy process at the NCAA Convention in Orlando in January. .

During its recent meeting, the Council reviewed NCAA and SEC legislative items, discussed a number of topics submitted by members of the Council, and engaged with football officials on rules of the game and student-athlete/referee interaction.

[LSUDad]

Still getting noticed. Congratulations Big Guy...

 

Blake Ferguson could win the Academic Heisman for LSU

BySHEA DIXON Sep 26, 8:25 AM 

Share3 Comments

 

(Photo: Matt Bush, USA TODAY Sports)

LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious William Campbell Trophy – also known as the Academic Heisman – the National Football Foundation Announced on Wednesday.

Celebrating its 30th year in 2019, the award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership.
Ferguson is one of 185 players from across all divisions in college football to be named to the list.
 
The NFF will announce 12-14 finalists on Oct. 30, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2019 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments.
 
The finalists will travel to New York City for the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 30th Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.
 
Ferguson, a senior from Smyrna, Ga., is in his fourth season as LSU’s starting long snapper. He’s been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times during his collegiate career as well as earning first team All-America recognition from Phil Steele Magazine, the only organization to recognize All-America honors for that position.
 
On the field, Ferguson became the first long snapper in LSU history to be named a permanent team captain last year as he helped the Tigers to a 10-3 overall mark, a Fiesta Bowl victory and a No. 6 final ranking.
 
In the classroom, Ferguson graduated in three years with a degree in marketing and will earn his Master’s in Business Administration from LSU in December.
 
In the community, Ferguson is active in many endeavors but is most passionate about working with children with diabetes. A Type 1 diabetic diagnosed in high school, Ferguson has become an advocate for the American Diabetes Association as well as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. As part of his advocacy for the disease, he was invited to Washington D.C. for the “Call To Congress” in the spring of 2018 to help raise awareness and funding for diabetes research.
 
Ferguson is also the two-time chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council and regularly visits with SEC Presidents and SEC Athletic Directors on key policy issues in college sports.  
 
"These 185 impressive candidates truly represent the scholar-athlete ideal," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, whose sons Peyton (Campbell Trophy® winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "For more than 60 years, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete program has showcased more than 800 college football players who have been successful on the football field, in the classroom and in the community. And we are excited to celebrate the 30th year of the William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda, which honors the best of the best. This year's semifinalists further illustrate the power of our great sport in developing the next generation of influential leaders."
 
To be considered for the Campbell Trophy, nominees must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is comprised of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.
 
Former Tiger Rudy Niswanger was named the recipient of the Campbell Trophy in 2005. Other LSU finalists for the award include Robert Dugas (1978), James Britt (1982), Nacho Albergamo (1987), Sol Graves (1990), Chad Kessler (1997), Bradie James (2002), and Rodney Reed (2003).

[LSUDad]

LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson named Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist for top community servant

• BY BROOKS KUBENA | STAFF WRITER
• NOV 5, 2019 - 12:03 PM

 

Buy Now

LSU snapper Blake Ferguson (48) holds his hands up signifying the fourth quarter of the AdvoCare Classic against Miami, Sunday, September 2, 2018, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. LSU won 33-17.

Advocate staff photo by HILARY SCHEINUK

 

 

 

Brooks Kubena

LSU senior long snapper Blake Ferguson has been named one of nine semifinalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, given annually to the college football's "top community servant," the award announced Tuesday.

Ferguson, a native of Smyrna, Georgia, serves as the chair of the Southeastern Conference Football Leadership Council. He has been named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in three seasons.

The 2019 Wuerffel Trophy finalists will be announced on Nov. 18, and the winner will be formally introduced at the National Football Foundation's news conference in New York City. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Ferguson is a Type I diabetic, and he serves as an advocate for the American Diabetes Association and their research programs. He was invited to Washington D.C. in 2018 for the "Call to Congress," an effort to help raise funds and awareness for diabetes research, and he met with congress members involved with policy making.

Last season Ferguson was also a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel.

Former LSU center Rudy Niswanger won the inaugural Wuerffel Trophy in 2005, and he remains the only player in program history to win the award.

Ferguson has also served in the Tim Tebow Foundation Night to Shine, a prom for special needs members in Baton Rouge, visited the Companion Animal Alliance, an LSU facility that shelters animals, and served as a volunteer PE instructor at Glasgow Elementary.