Sports' Forgotten Heroes

Joe “The Jet” Perry was once the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, and until 2011 was the all-time leading rusher in the history of the San Francisco 49’ers. But never winning a championship and playing the shadow of the great Jim Brown has certainly affected the legacy of Joe Perry. Perry said no to a larger offer to play for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL in 1948 and instead signed for nearly less than half what the Rams were officering to play in the All America Football Conference (AAFC) and the Niners. In his second year with the team, he led the AAFC in rushing. The AAFC folded after the 1949 season and San Francisco joined the NFL. The crossover to the NFL didn’t slow Perry down and he became the first running back in NFL history to gain 1,000-yards or more in back-to-back seasons when he rushed for 1,018 yards in 1953 and 1,049 yards in 1954. Perry had to share the backfield with other such stars as Hugh McElhenny and John Henry Johnson – and that certainly played an effect on Perry’s career totals. Sti