Last Updated on
William Perry Wiki
William Perry is an American former professional American football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. Perry played college football for Clemson University and was recognized as an All-American.
William Perry Biography
College career
Perry’s athletic performances earned him a full-ride scholarship to attend Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, where he played for coach Danny Ford’s Clemson Tigers football team. He was a member of a national championship team in 1981 and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a junior.
As a freshman in 1981, he earned his “Refrigerator” nickname when a fellow player could barely squeeze into an elevator with Perry and their laundry which they were taking to be washed. The player, Ray Brown, said: “Man, you’re about as big as a refrigerator.”
Professional career
In 1985, he was selected in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears; he had been hand-picked by coach Mike Ditka. However, defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, who had a highly acrimonious relationship with Ditka, called Perry a “wasted draft-pick”. Perry soon became a pawn in the political power struggle between Ditka and Ryan.
Perry’s “Refrigerator” nickname followed him into the NFL and he quickly became a favorite of the Chicago Bears fans. Teammates called him “Biscuit,” as in “one biscuit shy of 350 pounds.”
While Ryan refused to play Perry, Ditka decided to use Perry as a fullback when the team was near the opponents’ goal line or in fourth and short situations, either as a ball carrier or a lead blocker for star running back Walter Payton. Ditka stated the inspiration for using Perry as a fullback came to him during five-yard sprint exercises. During his rookie season, Perry rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pass for one.
Perry even had the opportunity to run the ball during Super Bowl XX, as a nod to his popularity and contributions to the team’s success. The first time he got the ball, he was tackled for a one-yard loss while attempting to throw his first NFL pass on a halfback option play.
The second time he got the ball, he scored a touchdown (running over Patriots linebacker Larry McGrew in the process). About halfway through his rookie season, Ryan finally began to play Perry, who soon proved that he was a capable defensive lineman.
His Super Bowl ring size is the largest of any professional football player in the history of the event. His ring size is 25, while the ring size for the average adult male is between 10 and 12.
Perry went on to play for ten years in the NFL, retiring after the 1994 season. In his ten years as a pro, he regularly struggled with his weight, which hampered his performance at times. He played in 138 games, recording 29.5 sacks and five fumble recoveries, which he returned for a total of 71 yards.
In his offensive career, he ran five yards for two touchdowns and had one reception for another touchdown. Perry later attempted a comeback, playing an unremarkable 1996 season with the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football (later NFL Europa).
William Perry Age/Height/Weight
William was born on 16th December 1962. He is 60 years old. He is 6’2’m tall and weighs 335lbs.
William Perry Divorced
Williams Perry was married twice. His first wife was Sherry Ann Broadwater with who was married from 1984 until 2004. His second wife, Valerie Perry married him in 2007. He has four children –including son William –that he doesn’t see much and both of his ex-wives are out of the picture. William Perry is the father of one son and three daughters, Norie Perry, Latavia Perry and Sherry Perry.
William Perry Touchdown
William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry’s Super Bowl touchdown remembered
Thirty years have passed since William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry cemented his name and image into pop culture history with one of the Super Bowl’s most enduring moments.
A generation to whom the NFL was a new and exciting alternative watched fixated as the overweight Perry, the man who played with a gap-toothed smile on his face, turned himself into a runaway train to score a shock touchdown at Super Bowl XX in February 1986 before famously spiking the ball into the ground.
His Chicago Bears were comprehensive victors on the 20th anniversary of the Super Bowl and even with the 50th edition set to be played between Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos on Sky Sports this Sunday, the legend of the 300lb Perry evokes nothing but good memories for anyone who shared his moment.
“His nickname came from the university that he attended, there was a photograph taken of William sitting next to a refrigerator,” Gayle told Sky Sports. “He was so big that he blocked it out of the picture.
William Perry Super Bowl Ring
William Perry Super Bowl Ring Sells For Super Price
CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago football icon William Perry’s Super Bowl ring sold for a super-sized price at auction on Thursday night.
The diamond-encrusted 1985 Super Bowl XX championship ring, the largest ever made for a football player, sold for $203,150. The anonymous Internet bidder paid more than five times the pre-auction estimate. The sale was part of Heritage Auctions “Platinum Night Sports Auction” in conjunction with the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont this weekend.
Perry had sold the ring long ago to a private collector. “This is by far one of the most unique examples of Chicago sports memorabilia as there ever was,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Collectibles at Heritage Auctions. The 10-karat gold and diamond ring is the largest NFL Championship ring ever produced (size 25) and was given to Perry after the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX 46-10 win over the New England Patriots.
Perry’s 300-pound frame earned him the nickname “The Refrigerator.”Perry became a 1980s pop-culture icon along with his teammates Walter Payton, Jim McMahon, and Mike Singletary.
William Perry Net Worth
Retired American professional football player William Perry has an estimated net worth of $10 thousand.
William Perry Health
In June 2008, he has diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome, a chronic inflammation disorder of the peripheral nerves. On April 22, 2009, Perry was hospitalized in South Carolina in serious condition from his Guillain–Barré syndrome. Perry spent approximately a month in the hospital before being released.
In June 2010, it was reported that Perry suffered from hearing loss, but also that he was improving after his diagnosis of Guillain–Barré syndrome. He had lost more than one hundred pounds (50 kg), but was, by this time, back up to 330 lb (150 kg). In February 2011, ESPN ran a somber article about him, citing ongoing health and drinking problems, and a weight of 400 lb (180 kg).
In January 2016, Perry, weighing more than 425 pounds, checked himself into the hospital to receive treatment for diabetes. Confined to a wheelchair, Perry revealed he had no feeling in his feet and was in danger of having his leg amputated.
In April 2011, Cliff Forrest, a 10-year-old child, discovered Perry’s Super Bowl ring for sale. With help from his mother, he purchased it for $8,500 and returned the ring to Perry. In September 2015, it was reported that Perry’s Super Bowl ring was auctioned off for more than $200,000 by the man Perry had sold it to several years earlier.
As of October 29, 2014, Perry has been confined to his late father’s home. Michael Dean Perry, his younger brother, and another former NFL defensive lineman is William’s guardian and conservator for his affairs. As of September 23, 2015, Perry is living off a monthly social security disability check, and also gets some disability money from the NFL as he lives in an assisted living townhouse