William Anthony Perry (born December 16, 1962) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "the Refrigerator", he played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Perry gained popularity during his rookie season as a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. During the season, Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg). He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 25. Early years Perry was born in Aiken, South Carolina, tenth of twelve children (eight sons and four daughters) of Hollie Perry, Sr (d. 2013), a house painter, and Inez (née Smith), a school dietitian. He has stated in an interview that "Even when I was little, I was big"; by the time he was 11 years old, he weighed 200 pounds. Frequently ridiculed for his weight while growing up, Perry took advantage of his athleticism to silence his critics. He attended Aiken High School and played as a 295-pound nose guard on the school's football team and ran on its track team. During an exercise in which his coach instructed all of his fastest players to line up for a 100-yard dash, Perry joined the group of running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs and eventually was timed as the 6th fastest runner on the entire team, with a time of 11 seconds flat. He was also able to run the 100 meters in under 12 seconds, and competed in the shot put event, recording a top-throw of . He could also execute 360-degree dunks on regulation basketball hoops and perform a complicated dive into the swimming pool. 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 from 1981 to 1984. He was a member of a national championship team in 1981, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a junior in 1983. 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.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

William Anthony Perry (born December 16, 1962) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "the Refrigerator", he played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Perry gained popularity during his rookie season as a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. During the season, Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg). He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 25.

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Overview

William Anthony Perry (born December 16, 1962) is an American former football defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "the Refrigerator", he played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. Perry gained popularity during his rookie season as a member of the 1985 Bears team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XX. During the season, Perry occasionally played fullback in goal line situations and set the then-record for the heaviest player to score a touchdown at 335 lb (152 kg). He remains the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl and has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 25. Early years Perry was born in Aiken, South Carolina, tenth of twelve children (eight sons and four daughters) of Hollie Perry, Sr (d. 2013), a house painter, and Inez (née Smith), a school dietitian. He has stated in an interview that "Even when I was little, I was big"; by the time he was 11 years old, he weighed 200 pounds. Frequently ridiculed for his weight while growing up, Perry took advantage of his athleticism to silence his critics. He attended Aiken High School and played as a 295-pound nose guard on the school's football team and ran on its track team. During an exercise in which his coach instructed all of his fastest players to line up for a 100-yard dash, Perry joined the group of running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs and eventually was timed as the 6th fastest runner on the entire team, with a time of 11 seconds flat. He was also able to run the 100 meters in under 12 seconds, and competed in the shot put event, recording a top-throw of . He could also execute 360-degree dunks on regulation basketball hoops and perform a complicated dive into the swimming pool. 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 from 1981 to 1984. He was a member of a national championship team in 1981, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a junior in 1983. 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.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).