Joe "The Jet" Perry
Joe Perry grew up in Los Angeles to some of the finest athletes in the area. He read about the exploits of Jackie Robinson, Woody Strode, and Kenny Washington with wonder. Perry proved a natural not only at football but in three other sports as well at David Starr Jordan High School. Perry eventually skipped a grade and graduated high school when he was only 16. He then enrolled at Compton Junior College. During his one year at the school, 1944, Perry played every sport he could, including football, baseball, softball, track and field.
As Perry was wrapping up the 1944–45 school year, he decided to join the Navy. While he was in the Navy, Perry continued playing football and also pitched for the softball team. While playing for Alameda semi-pro football team, at the Alameda Naval Air Station in the San Francisco area, Perry’s play was noticed by college and professional teams alike. The LA Rams offered him a $9,500 salary, but he turned down the offer and instead signed with the San Francisco 49ers of the AAFC for $4,500. After signing with San Francisco, Perry’s new teammates were stunned by how fast he was.
It was during his first practices with the 49ers that he earned his nickname. Quarterback Frankie Albert exclaimed, “You’re like a jet, Joe,” after Perry had shot out of his stance so quickly that Albert could not hand him the ball in time. Black players were a novelty in pro football when Perry entered the league in 1948. He was faced with racial abuse and discrimination on and off the field. “I can’t remember a season when I didn’t hear a racial slur,” he said. “Someone would say, ‘Nigger, don’t come through here again’, and I’d say, ‘I’m coming through again, and you better bring your family.“
He ended his 1948 rookie season with 562 yards (a 7.3 yards per carry average) and an AAFC-best 10 touchdowns. In 1950, the 49ers and their star running back joined the National Football League. Perry, at 6-0 and 200 pounds was small for an NFL fullback. Unlike the typical fullback of the day, his forte was not as an inside power runner. Instead, he combined his power with his quickness and deceptive elusiveness to slash through opposing defenses. In 1952, Perry was joined in the backfield by Hugh McElhenny, who arrived by way of Compton Junior College and the University of Washington.
Perry became the first NFL player to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons, when he did so in 1953 and 1954, in the twelve game season. His 1,018 yards rushing in 1953 and 1,049 in 1954 were the third and second highest totals for a single season in the NFL, respectively, behind only Steve Van Buren’s 1,146 yards in 1949. He led the league in carries, rushing yards, rushing yards per game, and yards from scrimmage in both seasons. In 1954 John Henry Johnson arrived from the Calgary Stampeders and joined Perry, quarterback Y.A Tittle, and McElhenny to become the “Million Dollar Backfield.”
As great as that quartet was, the Niners missed the playoffs again with a 7-4-1 record. That year he became the NFL’s MVP, the first Black player and San Francisco player to receive the award. Perry got his third Pro Bowl along with another first-team All-Pro nod. Perry had rushed for more than 700 yards in 1958 and 600 yards in 1959, but for the first time since his rookie campaign, Perry failed to start a game during the ’60 season and totaled just 95 rushing yards, his lowest as a pro. When the season concluded, the Niners traded Perry to the Baltimore Colts.
He lasted the 1961 and ’62 season with the Colts. After the 1962 season the Colts cut The Jet. San Fransico called Perry back in 1963 to come home and retire as a 49er. During his 16 years in the AAFC and NFL, Perry ran for 9,723 yards, 71 touchdowns, and caught 260 passes for 2,021 yards and 12 more scores. He had become the league’s career rushing leader until he was surpassed by Cleveland’s Jim Brown in October 1963. Perry became a member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team and was added to the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame, Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, and had his number 34 retired by the Niners.