William Perry

High school

Aiken High School

College

Clemson University

Pro team(s)

Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles

William Anthony "The Refrigerator" Perry was born on December 16, 1962, in Aiken, South Carolina, and attended Aiken High School before becoming one of the most dominant interior linemen in the history of Clemson University football. The Chicago Bears selected him in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft, and Perry quickly became one of the most beloved — and most entertaining — personalities in the history of professional football. Weighing in at over 320 pounds, Perry was nicknamed "The Refrigerator" by his college teammates, and the name became one of the most famous in sports when Bears coach Mike Ditka began using him as a ball-carrier in short-yardage situations. On November 4, 1985, in a Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers, Perry ran one yard for a touchdown — a moment that transcended football and made him a pop culture phenomenon. He scored again in Super Bowl XX, in which the Bears defeated the New England Patriots 46–10 in one of the most dominant championship performances in NFL history. Though Perry's career was ultimately curtailed by weight management issues, his personality, charisma, and the sheer joy he brought to a dominant Bears team make him one of the most memorable figures of the 1980s NFL. Born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina.