Joe Perry

Who was Joe Perry?

Fletcher Joseph "Joe" Perry was a professional American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1950, then 1950 to 1960 when the 49ers were absorbed into the NFL, the Baltimore Colts from 1961 to 1962, and finally back to the 49ers for his final year in football, 1963.

After military service in World War II, Perry attended Compton Junior College where he teamed with future Pro Football Hall of Fame member Hugh McElhenny. Together they won back-to-back national championships in 1946 and 1947. Perry then went directly into pro football joining the 49ers' in 1948. Nicknamed "The Jet," Perry was not known for being a powerful fullback, or particularly elusive; he simply had fantastic speed.

Perry retired as the NFL career rushing leader, surpassing the old record of 5,860 yards held by Steve Van Buren, and which was later broken by Jim Brown on October 20, 1963. He was also the first NFL runner ever to have consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons, Perry's durability allowed him to play in three separate decades, from the 1940s to the 1960s, for 16 seasons. During the mid-1950s, Perry was a member of the San Francisco 49ers "Million Dollar Backfield", playing alongside Hugh McElhenny, John Henry Johnson and Y.A. Tittle. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Currently the 49ers "Million Dollar Backfield" is the only full-house backfield to have all four of its members enshrined in the Hall.