Former Eagles who also have roots and connections to the Bears

Who could ever forget William Perry’s brief tenure in an Eagles jersey?

With the 22nd overall selection in the 1985 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected William ‘Refrigerator’ Perry.  This after he had won a National Championship in 1981, a Consensus All-American nod in 1983, and an  ACC Player of the Year Award in 1984.

Mike Ditka, the head coach of the Bears at the time, absolutely loved Perry, but defensive coordinator. Buddy Ryan, Chicago’s defensive coordinator at the time, didn’t like the selection, once calling Perry’s selection a wasted pick (he even refused to play him in his lineup for a while).

Ditka, in turn, decided to use him as a fullback on the offensive side of the ball. The Fridge would rush for two touchdowns and catch another during the season and another in Super Bowl XX versus the New England Patriots.

Perry went on to eventually play nine seasons with the Bears, racking up 28.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and 448 tackles in 114 regular-season games. In 1993, he joined the Eagles for the first of two seasons. He appeared in 24 games, starting all of them. The results were 52 total tackles and one sack.

It wasn’t the most impressive showing, but how can you not mention The Fridge in an Eagles jersey? Philadelphia would be the last team he would suit up for as he retired from the game after the 1994 season.