Former Packers, Badgers star Bill Ferrario dies at 47
Former Wisconsin offensive lineman who started all 50 games for the Badgers from 1997-2000 and spent time with Green Bay, Washington and Carolina dies at home; cause undisclosed.
Former Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Bill Ferrario has died at age 47, his family confirmed. Ferrario died at his home Wednesday; the cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. A standout for the Badgers from 1997 to 2000, Ferrario started all 50 games in his college career, a feat that made him only the third Big Ten player to do so at the time.
Ferrario was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, and he spent two seasons in Green Bay before being released. After a year away from the league in 2003, he was signed by the Washington Redskins, though he was never activated to Washington's full-time roster and was cut ahead of the 2004 regular season. He later joined the Carolina Panthers and was placed on the 53-man roster in November 2004, but did not appear in a game and was released in 2005.
Following his playing career, Ferrario largely stayed out of the public eye and faced legal trouble in recent years. In 2023, he was arrested twice, first for a DUI and then for stalking, intimidation of a victim, in Marathon County, Wisconsin, according to local reports. His final Instagram post, in late May, celebrated his daughter's high school graduation: 'Words can’t express how proud I am of my daughter on her graduation,' Ferrario wrote. 'Watching her grow, work hard, and chase her goals has been one of the greatest joys of my life. She now closes one chapter and begins another - and I have no doubt she’s going to do amazing things. Congratulations. Keep shining. The world is yours.'
Ferrario's death was first reported by his hometown newspaper in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed, and family representatives requested privacy as investigators gather more information about the 47-year-old's passing. Ferrario is remembered for starting all 50 games at Wisconsin and for stints with the Packers, Redskins and Panthers, a career that bridged college success and a challenging professional path.