WASHINGTON (June 30, 2022) – Dr. Rhadi Ferguson was a three-sport student-athlete for Howard University, competing in football, track & field and wrestling. In 1997, he graduated with his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
 
In 2014, Dr. Ferguson was inducted in the Howard Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Dr. Ferguson is an author, speaker, former mixed martial arts professional fighter, award winning judo coach and a 2004 Olympian.
 
Dubbed "The Intellectual Warrior," he is known for his academic approach as a strategist and tactician when he served as an adjunct professor in the sports science departments of the University of Central Florida and the University of Tampa. His expertise in the field led to him serving as the associate editor of the Journal of Asian Martial Arts and an editorial reviewer for the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
 
Dr. Ferguson has been featured on major networks, such as Yahoo!, NBC and ESPN, along with print media, including UFC Fit Magazine, Ultimate Grappling Magazine, and Washington Post.
 
His writing can be found on the professional blog ProMMANow.com, a syndicate of USA Today. When not writing for the blog, Dr. Ferguson has been known to have his work published in peer reviewed journals and books.
 
His motivational speaking and coaching advice can be easily found on his internet show "Coffee With Rhadi" which is a spinoff from his book "Coffee with Rhadi: Herculean Conversations with an Olympian (and some other things that you think about from time to time...)," which can be found with the rest of his publications on Amazon.
 
Along with being an accomplished writer, Dr. Ferguson holds a sixth-degree black belt in Judo and a fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. This skill extends to coaching, which recognizes him as one of the top 100 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) trainers in the world by UFC Fit Magazine. Among his prestigious awards is USA Judo Coach of the Year.
 
The coaching experience that led to those awards include serving as the Head Coach for the Bahamas Judo Federation. It was in this position that he coached at the World Judo Championships (2009), the Cadet World Championships (2009) and the Junior World Championships (2018) while also developing the first Olympian in the sport of Judo in the Bahamas.
 
Holding master's and doctorate degrees in education, Dr. Ferguson currently teaches and operates his own dojo in Tampa, Florida called Tampa Florida Judo (www.TampaFloridaJudo.net). His students have seen success on both the local and national level, including his two children Rufus (16) and Rhadi Isabelle (12). They have both been ranked nationally as well as held the #1 ranking spot in the United States in their respective weight classes.
 
About Where Are They Now?
 
The weekly series of "Where Are They Now?" appears each Thursday throughout the year.
 
The series will feature former student-athletes from all sports and eras, highlighting their careers as athletes at the University and what they are presently doing.
 
All interested former athletes and their coaches should submit a short bio, a recent head shot and contact information on how they can be reached via email to Jade Spurlock (jade.spurlock@bison.howard.edu) and Derek W. Bryant (derek.bryant@howard.edu).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.