Editor’s note: This article will be published in the 2026 Playbook football preview magazine, included in the Wednesday, Aug. 26 edition of the Record-Eagle. The Playbook previews 14 area football teams and includes several feature stories and rosters for band and cheerleading teams.
TRAVERSE CITY — Johnny Ferguson expected to be in his sophomore year playing college football by now.
That was a long time ago.
The 2025 Traverse City Central grad committed to play for Wilmington College in Ohio during his senior season. That came to a screeching halt in December 2024 when started experiencing stomach pains after Christmas while visiting family in Marquette.
Doctors discovered a lump in his armpit and another in his stomach.
After doing a biopsy and finding out both were cancerous, the grapefruit-sized tumor in his arm and softball-sized one in his stomach were attacked using chemotherapy.
The diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is hard for anyone. Ferguson was 17 at the time.
“It definitely is a very scary,” Ferguson said. “The first couple weeks in there, you’re in a daze. The first week or two was hard, just to realize this is going to be your life for the next few months.”
The tumor locations made surgery not an option, he said, so he checked in to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids to start months of chemotherapy.
He was released from DeVos on May 13, a day before his 18th birthday. He went to prom with a shaved head, a big departure from the long, curly hair he played with in high school that hung out the back of his helmet as he chased down ballcarriers.
“At the beginning, I was like, ‘Why me?'” Ferguson said. “But I feel like a very God-oriented person. I didn’t think Jesus would put anything on my plate I couldn’t handle. I just appreciate every single day I keep waking up.”
As he went through chemotherapy, Ferguson worked with a trainer the whole time to retain as much of his mobility as possible, even when the therapy kept his blood count low and made it hard to get out of bed.
Two months later, he was working out at Lead Prep Academy. He wasn’t sure he was well enough to play, but went ahead with it anyway.
“In my mind, I didn’t, but I felt that was the best spot for me to be,” Ferguson said. “Working out definitely helped me out.”
He played a bit there, working his way back to playing shape. A shoulder injury had him considering giving up the comeback.
That’s when former TC Central wide receiver, Scotty Goodwin, talked to Fresno City College coaches and vouched for Ferguson, who then sent them some film from high school, and the team agreed to give him another shot.
He’s playing tight end at Fresno. Ferguson hurt his knee as a junior and stopped playing tight end to focus on defensive line, where he was a disruptive player and earned selection to the Record-Eagle’s Dream Team.
Ferguson played at 270 pounds in high school, dropping down to around 215 after chemo. He’s back up in the 230s now.
He’s been in remission for 14 months now.
“It makes you appreciate things a lot more,” Ferguson said. “You see smaller things. I appreciate every moment on Earth.”
Now he’s waking up for morning practices four times a week through the summer and started taking summer classes to get ahead on academics.
“It’s making me grateful to be able to wake up this early,” Ferguson said. “I get to go to practice and be physical.”