AN INTERVIEW WITH CLEMSON GRAD WILLIAM 'THE REFRIGERATOR' PERRY

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The Fridge!

You probably know William "The Refrigerator" Perry best from his touchdown run in Super Bowl XX or The Super Bowl Shuffle. What few remember is this: Perry was a freshman on the 1981 Clemson Tigers national championship team. With his alma mater a Top 10 team this season—and headlining Saturday Night Football this week (8pm, ABC) against Alabama—we talked with Perry about some of his memories.

Bonus: you can read interviews with Alabama fans Jimmy Wales and Winston Groom, also!

The Magazine: What are your strongest memories from that '81 season?

Perry: Well, I was a freshman starting on that team—actually splitting time with William Devane at defensive nosetackle, but still getting the chance to play. Actually, Devane is the guy who nicknamed me "Fridge." I remember all those guys; it was just a great group of them. We had a lot of fun. Every Friday we'd do a final practice 'walk-through' for the game, and I just remember we were always out on the field dancing and singing together.

Howard's Rock was around then, right?

Yea, it's always there. You touch it and you run down, and you get ready to play.

Do you still keep in touch with those guys?

Yea, definitely. I was under the weather recently, and a lot of them came down to see me.

You grew up in Aiken, SC. How important is college football in that area - both the Gamecocks and you guys?

Oh, it's a big deal. The rivalry is huge between South Carolina and Clemson. It's major bragging rights; one of the most intense things I've been a part of.

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"He mooned the helicopter."

Switching gears to pro football for a second: flat out, are the 1985 Bears the best team ever? Obviously you're biased, but…

Of course. Of course I'm going to say that. We did it with passion; we didn't do it like everyone else. Teams nowadays are still trying to duplicate that, but no one has yet. We shuffled down and we did it. We did it in an unique fashion.

What's your relationship like with Buddy Ryan?

Buddy's a great guy. You have to get to know him because he can be tough, but he's a great defensive mind. He always called you by your number, never by your name. It's always "Hey 72, get over here" or "Hey 72, do this!" It was never William or Perry.

And gotta ask: what's your best Jim McMahon story ever?

When we got down to the Super Bowl in '85, against the Patriots, we're down there on the field checking things out. This helicopter flies overhead, probably taking pictures, and McMahon just moons it. He mooned the helicopter from the field.

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