Former Clemson Tigers Defensive Star Had Legendary Freshman Season

Over 40 years ago, a Clemson Tigers defender had one of the best freshman seasons in college football history.

Jan 26, 1986; New Orleans, LA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bears defensive tackle (72) William Perry, playing on offense, takes a handoff and runs the football against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XX at the Superdome. The Bears defeated the Patriots 46-10. / Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

Since Dabo Swinney took over as head coach of the Clemson Tigers football team, they have been known for playing excellent defense.

The NFL is littered with defensive players who developed under him collegiately before blossoming as professionals. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants is in the argument as the best defender in the sport and one of the best players regardless of position.

Just about 35 years before he was dominating the trenches for the Tigers, there was another defensive tackle wreaking havoc and ruining the offensive game plans of opponents — William Perry.

In 1981, he started his illustrious career with Clemson and put together one of the most memorable freshmen seasons in college football history.

Over at ESPN, Bill Connelly recently put together a list of the greatest true freshman seasons on the gridiron. Perry’s first collegiate season was so good that he earned the No. 44 spot in the rankings.

The man who would later become known as "Refrigerator" Perry was a key part of Clemson's 1981 national championship team, who dominated a key matchup in the Tigers' final game that season.

“Danny Ford's Tigers went from allowing 20.2 points per game in 1980 to 8.8 in 1981 thanks in part to the space-eater up front, who neutralized Nebraska's Dave Rimington -- the namesake of the award that goes to college football's best center -- in a 22-15 Orange Bowl win that clinched the school's first national title," wrote the college football expert.

It takes a total team effort to perform at a high that high on the defensive end of the court, but inserting Perry into the mix turned what was a strong unit into an elite one.

That was just the start of an impressive collegiate career, as the interior force was a consensus All-America Team member in 1983 and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1984.

His stellar performance while with the Tigers led to him being selected in the first round, No. 22 overall, by the Chicago Bears in the 1985 NFL Draft. After winning a championship with Clemson in 1981, he helped the Bears do the same as a rookie.

The highlight of the 335-pound big man plunging into the end zone during Super Bowl XX as part of a 46-10 decimation of the New England Patriots still gets shown today.

Perry would play 10 years in the NFL, the first 8.5 with Chicago before finishing up with the Philadelphia Eagles.