Perry Jeter
No. 21
Position:Halfback
Personal information
Born:(1931-05-17)May 17, 1931
Brevard, North Carolina
Died:May 18, 2019(2019-05-18) (aged 88)
Steubenville, Ohio
Height:5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight:178 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High school:Steubenville (OH)
College:Cal Poly
NFL draft:1955 / Round: 26 / Pick: 311
Career history

Perry Jeter (May 17, 1931 – May 18, 2019) was an American football halfback. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1956 to 1957.[1][2]

Jeter died of Alzheimer's disease on May 18, 2019, in Steubenville, Ohio at age 88.[3]

Early life

Jeter graduated from Steubenville High School in Ohio. In a 1950 game against McKinley of Canton, Jeter scored on a 109-yard kickoff return, a still-standing record for the longest touchdown runback in Harding Stadium history.[4]

College career

Jeter transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo from San Bernardino Valley College.[5] While attending SBVC, Jeter earned junior college All-American accolades as a sophomore.[6]

In December 1955, Jeter was nominated for the Pop Warner Award.[7] Combined from his three seasons with Cal Poly, Jeter finished with 260 carries for 1,740 rushing yards, along with 31 all-purpose touchdowns and numerous point-after conversions.[8]

Collegiate Statistics
Season School Rush. Att. Rush Yds. Avg. Punt Ret. LG Overall Points
1951 SBVC (Fr.) 100 1,096 10.9 85t 108
1952 SBVC (JV) n/a n/a n/a n/a 70
1953 Cal Poly (So.) 74 543 7.3 n/a 89
1954 Cal Poly (Jr.) 125 877 7.0 93t 78
1955 Cal Poly (Sr.) 61 320 5.2 n/a 36
Totals Combined 360 2,836 7.9 93t 381

Professional career

Jeter was selected by the Bears in the 26th round of the 1955 NFL Draft, with the 311th overall pick.

Chicago executive George Halas commented in 1956: "Jeter is a very elusive runner with good speed. He's a great punt returner and is terrific in the open field."[9]

NFL Statistics
Season Team GP Rush Att. Yds. Avg. LG TD PR Yds. Avg. LG TD KR Yds. Avg. LG TD
1956 CHI 7 60 316 5.3 51 2 6 66 11.0 51t 1 5 105 21.0 26 0
1957 CHI 9 10 11 1.1 7 0 2 3 1.5 3 0 3 62 20.7 28 0
Career 16 70 327 4.7 51 2 8 69 8.6 51t 1 8 167 20.9 28 0

He went on to play for the Wheeling Ironmen in the United Football League from 1962 to 1963.

References

  1. ^ "Perry Jeter Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  2. ^ "Perry Jeter, HB". Nfl.com. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  3. ^ "Big Red football legend Perry Jeter Sr. passes away". Wtov9.com. 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  4. ^ Grimm, Andrew (May 27, 2019). "Steubenville remembers Perry Jeter". The Weirton Daily Times. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Kraft, David (November 21, 1987). "Poly honors first Hall of Fame class". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. pp. B-1.
  6. ^ "San Bernardino Valley College Football - Records and History" (PDF). SBVC Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "Perry Jeter Gets Chance to Win Warner Award". UPI/Telegram-Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). December 16, 1955. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Jeter Averaged 6.7 Yards Every Time He Had Ball". El Mustang. December 2, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "Jeter to Run for Bears Sunday at S.F.". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. October 25, 1956. p. 10.


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