William Perry (American football) facts for kids
_1.png)
Perry (#66) with Clemson in 1982
|
|||||||
| No. 72, 90, 95 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 16, 1962 Aiken, South Carolina, U.S. |
||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 335 lb (152 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Aiken | ||||||
| College: | Clemson | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
William Anthony Perry (born December 16, 1962) is a famous American football player. He played as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. Most of his career was with the Chicago Bears. People called him "the Refrigerator" because of his large size.
Perry played college football for the Clemson Tigers. He was named ACC Player of the Year. The Chicago Bears picked him in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft. He became very popular during his first year with the 1985 Bears team. That team won the Super Bowl, which is the biggest championship in American football. Perry even played fullback sometimes and scored a touchdown. He was the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. His Super Bowl ring is also the largest ever made!
Contents
Early Life and Athletic Talents
William Perry was born in Aiken, South Carolina. He was one of twelve children. He often said, "Even when I was little, I was big." By age 11, he weighed 300 pounds.
Even though some people made fun of his size, Perry used his amazing athletic skills to show them what he could do. He went to Aiken High School. There, he played as a 295-pound nose guard on the football team. He also ran on the track team. He was surprisingly fast for his size. He could run 100 yards in just 11 seconds! He also competed in the shot put event.
College Football Career
Perry's incredible athletic abilities earned him a full scholarship to Clemson University. He played for the Clemson Tigers football team from 1981 to 1984. In 1981, his team won a national championship. In 1983, he was named a top All-American player.
He got his famous nickname, "the Refrigerator," during his first year at Clemson. A teammate, Ray Brown, was trying to get into an elevator with Perry and their laundry. The teammate said, "Man, you're about as big as a refrigerator!" The name stuck!
Professional Football Career
In 1985, the Chicago Bears chose William Perry in the first round of the 1985 NFL draft. The team's coach, Mike Ditka, really wanted him. Perry's "Refrigerator" nickname followed him to the NFL. He quickly became a favorite among Chicago Bears fans.
At first, the defensive coach didn't want to play Perry much. But Coach Ditka had a clever idea. He decided to use Perry as a fullback when the team was close to scoring. Perry would either carry the ball himself or block for star player Walter Payton. In his first year, he scored two touchdowns by running and one by catching a pass.
Perry even got to run the ball in Super Bowl XX. This was a special moment because of how popular he was. The first time he tried to throw a pass, he was tackled. But the second time he got the ball, he scored a touchdown! He ran right over a player from the other team.
His Super Bowl ring is the largest ever for a professional football player. It is a size 25, which is much bigger than the average adult male ring size (10-12).
Perry played in the NFL for ten years, retiring after the 1994 season. He played in 138 games. He made 29.5 sacks and recovered five fumbles. He also scored three offensive touchdowns. After the NFL, he tried playing for the London Monarchs in 1996.
Beyond Football
William Perry was not just famous for football. He also did many other interesting things!
Music
During his time with the Bears, Perry helped record three rap songs in 1985. He was also part of the team's very popular song, "Super Bowl Shuffle."
Media Appearances
Perry appeared in several celebrity events. In 1986, he took part in a World Wrestling Federation battle royal at WrestleMania 2. In 2006, he was honored and inducted into the "Celebrity Wing" of the WWE Hall of Fame.
He also appeared in a TV movie called Windy City Heat in 2003. He made a short appearance in an episode of According to Jim too.
Pop Culture
In 1987, the toy company Hasbro made an action figure of William Perry for their G.I. Joe toy line. The figure was called "The Fridge – William 'Refrigerator' Perry." It had his jersey number, 72, on its chest.
Television
In 1986, Perry appeared as himself in an episode of The A-Team alongside Hulk Hogan. He also appeared on a 2002 episode of Comedy Central's The Man Show.
Personal Life
William Perry has been married twice and has four children.
In 2007, Perry faced some health challenges. He spent time in the hospital but later improved. In 2010, it was reported that his hearing was affected, but he was getting better.
In 2011, a 10-year-old boy named Cliff Forrest found Perry's Super Bowl ring for sale. With his mother's help, Cliff bought the ring and returned it to Perry. However, the ring was later auctioned off for a large sum of money.
As of 2018, Perry reported that he was moving around better and felt much improved. His family, including his younger brother Michael Dean Perry, has supported him through his health journey.
