Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 10, 1993                   TAG: 9311100050
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BEARS PULL THE PLUG ON `REFRIGERATOR' PERRY

Perry has tumbled a long way since his rookie season in 1985, when he helped the Bears win the Super Bowl and his weight became a staple for comedy routines and television commercials.

He did not start a game this season, and on Sunday he was placed on the inactive for the first time. By releasing Perry before the second half of the season, the Bears saved $343,750, half his salary.

"The decision was not easy, particularly since he is a fine person and has been an excellent football player," said Dave Wannstedt, Chicago's first-year head coach. "It was something that had to be done.

"I tried to be as fair as I could be. It was not money or part of a youth movement. Weight was not an issue."

Wannstedt said the 30-year-old defensive tackle would not have been in uniform for Sunday night's game at San Diego. Perry had eight tackles in seven games this year.

"We tried to rotate him with other people and it wasn't working," the coach said. "It was a decision that had to be made."

From the day Perry was drafted in the first round in 1985 out of Clemson, controversy followed him - mostly concerning his bulk and his clashes with Mike Ditka, then the coach.

Buddy Ryan, then the Bears' defensive coordinator, called Perry a "wasted draft choice" and insisted he could not play in the NFL.

Ditka, if for no other reason than wanting to prove a point, helped turn the national spotlight on the 6-foot-2 tackle.

Television cameras focused on his waistline. His eating habits became the stuff of legend. He shot into fame in a Monday night game against Green Bay when Ditka put him in the backfield. Perry scored on a 1-yard run and made the lead block on two touchdown runs by Walter Payton.

Perry capped his rookie year by scoring a touchdown in the 46-10 Super Bowl victory over New England.

But Perry's weight became an obsession with Ditka, who during the 1988 training camp sent him to a Duke University clinic for what was termed an "eating disorder."

Ditka claimed Perry would be an outstanding player at 320 pounds, a weight Perry never reached. There were benchings and fines because of his weight.

Keywords:
FOOTBALL