Chicago Bear Great William “The Fridge” Perry Hospitalized This Evening

Kids today may not remember William Perry also known better as the Fridge from the World Champion ’85 Chicago Bears but anyone over 30 will recall this NFL Great and somewhat of a circus character who is terribly ill tonight in a local hospital back in his hometown of Aiken South Carolina and I’m sure his fans around the world would like to offer their prayers and hopes for his recovery tonight.

He’s developed a disease similar to the one I have, his ailment is known as Guillain-Barr Syndrome and mine Multiple Sclerosis, both which effect the nervous system causing inexplicable degeneration of the pathways that command the muscles that brings on weakness and sometimes full paralysis of the limbs in it’s victims with symptoms that vary in degree from person to person.

You can see the NFL Rookie Perry pictured above in the Super Bowl scoring a touchdown as a featured character in this classic MTV quality song and video from ’85 called The Super Bowl Shuffle, with his part coming at the 4:40 mark in the 7 minute jam that really took the world by surprise that season.

Some of the NFL’s greatest players appear in this video including the late Great Walter Payton, Jim McMahon and Mike Singletary with many others as The Greatest Single Season Football Team in NFL History made it well before reaching the Super Bowl in the ’85 season played in January of ’86 , knowing their team was far beyond the competition that year going 17-1 as Chicagoans remember with glee still unmatched, even during the Super Bowl appearance and pathetic loss a few years back.

‘Refrigerator’ Perry hospitalized in S.C.

Chicago Breaking News:”Former Bears defensive tackle William ‘Refrigerator’ Perry is listed in serious condition at Aiken Regional Medical Center in South Carolina after suffering the effects of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a hospital spokeswoman said today.”

The Bears’ first-round draft pick out of Clemson in 1985 told the Tribune last June that he suffered from the disease, which is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms include general weakness of the legs, arms, breathing muscles and face.

At the time of the initial diagnosis, Perry said, “I lost a little weight. I never had anything like this before. It just all of a sudden came up on me.”

Perry, 46, was one of just a handful of 300-pound-plus players in the NFL in the mid-’80s. Now it seems every team has at least five or six in that range. Perry became a commercial novelty as he helped lead the Bears to the Super Bowl XX title. Coach Mike Ditka made the most of Fridge’s versatility by deploying him as a fullback and letting him plunge for short touchdowns with his uncanny quickness and tremendous girth. He scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl against New England.

After retiring from football, Perry once boxed 7-foot-7 former NBA player Manute Bol in 2002. In 2003 he participated in Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog eating contest. He seemed to enjoy devouring the hot dogs, but he finished about 40 hot dogs shy of the winner.

Perry, who has three daughters and a son, is also a grandfather. He made headlines when he had dental implants that corrected his once famous gap-toothed smile. His top front teeth had been shot out by a pellet gun when he was a child. Making his first visit to a dentist’s office in 20 years, Perry’s gums were infected and the procedure took three hours in the office of Vesna Sutter and Timothy Driscoll in Geneva.