Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A quarterback by trade, John Ferruolo was the Wildcats second-leading passer for two seasons before he developed into a jack of all trades by his senior year. He played on Villanova’s varsity squad from 1954-56 and was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1997 on the 40-year anniversary of his graduation.
 
Ferruolo threw for a combined 569 yards and three touchdowns while completing 49 passes during the 1954 and 1955 seasons. By his senior year in 1956, Billy Magee was entrenched as the Wildcats starter under center. The best performances of Ferruolo’s career were still to come however, and he would end up ranking third on the team in receiving yards and fourth in rushing yards for the 1956 season. Ferruolo amassed 468 all-purpose yards while playing in seven of nine games during the year.
 
The season stat line for Ferruolo in 1956 was an impressive one. He caught nine passes for 128 yards and rushed for 245 yards on 51 attempts while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Ferruolo also returned two kickoffs for a total of 36 yards, recorded two punt returns for 21 yards and made two interceptions which he returned for a total of 28 yards.
 
Beyond the individual totals, Ferruolo helped engineer a significant team turnaround in his senior year. Villanova won just one game each in 1954 and 1955 before flipping the script with a 5-4 record in 1956, the first winning record for head coach Frank Reagan in his third year leading the team.
 
After falling to Texas A&M in the 1956 season opener, the Wildcats reeled off three straight wins over Detroit, Dayton and Boston University. The victory over Dayton (13-0) in addition to later wins over The Citadel (46-0) and Iowa State (26-0) were all shutouts, the most for Villanova in a single season since 1949.
 
Ferruolo graduated from Villanova in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.