D'Brickashaw Ferguson

D'Brickashaw Montgomery Ferguson was born on December 10, 1983, and spent his entire 10-year NFL career as an offensive tackle for the New York Jets. A standout at the University of Virginia, he earned first-team All-American honors in college before the Jets selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft. Over his career, he was named to three Pro Bowls and started 160 consecutive regular-season games, never missing a single game.

His unusual first name comes from Father Ralph de Bricassart, a character in the 1977 novel The Thorn Birds. Ferguson grew up in Freeport, New York, and nearly quit football as a high school freshman. Rated a three-star recruit and the No. 29 offensive guard prospect by Rivals.com, he chose Virginia over Michigan State.

At Virginia, Ferguson played for the Cavaliers, starting 49 games. He entered college at 260 pounds but often dropped to 245 during the season. He made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team two years in a row, becoming Virginia's first All-ACC offensive tackle since 1998, and started at left tackle in four straight bowl games. In 2003, he occasionally played linebacker in a special defensive package. He earned a religious studies degree in just three and a half years and was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly in 2004.

Though considered undersized as a tackle after playing at 295 pounds his senior year, Ferguson weighed in at 312 at the NFL Combine. His lower-body strength, athleticism, and flexibility—evidenced by a black belt in Shotokan karate and a brown belt in taekwondo—set him apart, along with an 87-inch armspan. The NFL invited him to New York for the 2006 draft, where the Jets picked him fourth overall—the first time they used their top pick on a tackle since selecting Dave Cadigan eighth overall in 1988.

He signed a five-year deal on July 26, 2006, worth about $35 million, similar to the contract of the previous year's No. 4 pick, Cedric Benson. Designated as Jason Fabini's successor, Ferguson started every game at left tackle from the 2006 season onward. He replaced an injured Jake Long in the 2010 Pro Bowl, was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl, and was ranked 79th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 list.

Ferguson announced his retirement on April 8, 2016, after 10 seasons, having played 10,707 of 10,708 possible regular-season offensive snaps. In his statement, he thanked every coach, teammate, and fan for their support. His hometown of Freeport, New York, honored him on September 29, 2009, by adding secondary signage reading "D'Brickashaw Ferguson Way" to South Ocean Avenue, where he grew up. His father, Ed Ferguson Sr., is from Nassau, The Bahamas, and his older brother, Edwin, also graduated from Virginia.

Ferguson inspired the recurring "East–West College Bowl" sketch on Key & Peele, which featured players with unusual names; one iteration included Ferguson himself. He and his ex-wife had two children before divorcing in December 2021, and he welcomed a third child with his current wife, Stephanie, in April 2025. In May 2025, he graduated from Jefferson University's nursing program, following his mother and grandmother, both nurses.