William Perry (football player)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Perry
Positions:
Defensive tackle ,
running back 		Jersey numbers:
72, 90
born on December 16, 1962 in Aiken , South Carolina
Career information
Active : 1985 - 1996
NFL Draft : 1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22
College : Clemson
Teams
NFL
WLAF
Career statistics
Tackles     506
Forced fumbles     2
Touchdowns     3
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

William Anthony Perry (* 16th December 1962 in Aiken , South Carolina ) is a former American American football poker players in the National Football League (NFL). The 1.88 meter tall Perry played mainly as a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears , but was also used as a running back .

biography

An excellent football player since his youth, Perry was named three times on the All-American team as a "nose tackle" in college at Clemson University and won the 1981 NCAA championship. He was selected as the 22nd player by the Chicago Bears in the 1985 NFL Draft . Perry, who was 1.88 meters tall and weighed 152 kilograms during his best days, was nicknamed "The Refrigerator" or "The Fridge" for short due to his massive build and played defensive tackle. Although he was mostly used in defense on the field , the head coach of the Bears, Mike Ditka , recognized his offensive qualities and used him for running plays shortly before the opposing end zone (so-called "short yardage plays") as an additional running back. When “The Fridge” threw itself into the opposing linebacker like a human battering ram, the force was so strong that it knocked even the strongest defenders off their feet. So he usually blocked the (actual) running back Walter Payton 's way to a simple touchdown , but could also run into the end zone with the football, and was sure enough to get a short pass from quarterback Jim McMahon . In Chicago, Perry was affectionately known as "the thickest running back of all time" and became a crowd favorite.

A prominent victim of Perry's offensive skills was George Cumby , linebacker for the Green Bay Packers . He was "only" 101 kilograms and the victim of three touchdowns by the Bears in which Perry made him look bad. On the first touchdown, Perry knocked him over with such force that he fell over and Walter Payton was able to run into the end zone with the football behind him. The second time, Perry himself knocked the football in his hand, and on the third touchdown he was so fixated on stopping the onrushing Perry that he realized too late that "The Fridge" hit a hook and unobstructed a pass from Jim McMahon could catch in the end zone. The press hailed Perry as "the best use of fat since the invention of bacon," and Cumby later admitted that he "had no idea" how to stop Perry.

Perry did his part in helping the Bears win Super Bowl XX in 1985 . In one of the most one-sided Super Bowls in the history of the NFL (win 46:10 against the New England Patriots ), “The Fridge” scored an interim 46: 3 with one of his typical short touchdown runs. Because Perry has a finger size 25, he got the largest Super Bowl ring ever made. But from 1987 Perry got alcohol and weight problems, which he couldn't get under control despite warnings from the team and family. Although his fitness continued to decline, Perry played for the Bears until 1993. He then played for the Philadelphia Eagles for two years . In total, he made 138 games in the NFL. After his NFL career, he went to the London Monarchs of the European World League of American Football for a year before retiring.

Perry is the heaviest NFL player to score a touchdown from a set play (that is, from a regular play without fumble or interception ).

Media appearances

Perry's "Fridge" -immick, his open manner and his characteristic tooth gap smile made him a media darling. He performed with Johnny Carson and David Letterman and used his fame to become a part-time rapper ( The Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle ), as an advertising character for u. a. McDonald’s , Taco Bell and Coca-Cola , as cameo actors in the television series The A-Team and as part-time wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment . He graced the cover of the July issue of Sports Illustrated (2000) and was elected to the WWE Hall of Fame as "Celebrity Inductee" in 2006. In 2009 he was voted "Greatest Character in NFL History" by the NFL.

Private life

Perry is married to his wife Sherry and they have four children together. He is the tenth of twelve children. He owes his nickname "The Fridge" to his collar circumference of 22 inches and his shirt size of 58 (American measure), which would correspond to XXXXXXL in European measure. He already weighed 6.1 kilograms at birth and was 140 kilograms as a teenager. After his football career, Perry went into the construction industry and started his own company.

Perry suffered from severe drinking problems after his career, which put a heavy strain on his marriage. He contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2009 and spent five months in the hospital.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Monster Of The Midway - William (The Refrigerator) Perry, the Bears' favorite appliance, is one cool commodity in Chicago , CNNSI.com
  2. ↑ a b c How 'The Fridge' lost his way , ESPN.com
  3. ↑ Top Ten Characters: William Perry - William "The Refrigerator" Perry is the # 1 NFL character of all-time.
  4. ^ First and last: William Perry, football player ( October 1, 2006 memento in the Internet Archive ), guardian.co.uk
  5. ^ William 'The Refrigerator' Perry hospitalized with immune disorder , nydailynews.com
personal data
SURNAME Perry, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Perry, William Anthony (full name); The Fridge (nickname); The Refrigerator (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American football player
DATE OF BIRTH December 16, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Aiken , South Carolina , United States