Raymond Christopher Perry (born December 27, 1981) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for five seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, receiving consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2003. He was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the first round of the

2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...

, and played his entire NFL career for the Bengals.

Early life

Perry was born in

Advance, North Carolina Advance (pronounced ad-vance) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Davie County, North Carolina, United States. It is 75 miles northeast of Charlotte. The population was 1,499 at the 2020 census. It is located alo ...

. He attended

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private school, private, all-male, college preparatory Christian school, Christian Military school, military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is co ...

Fork Union, Virginia Fork Union is an unincorporated community in southern Fluvanna County, Virginia, along U.S. Highway 15. Its ZIP code is 23055; the population within that ZIP code was 1148 according to the 2000 Census. It is known mainly as the home of Fork ...

, where he helped his team win multiple VISFA State Championships.

College career

Perry attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he played for coach

Lloyd Carr Lloyd Henry Carr Jr. (born July 30, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season, replacing Gary Moeller. Under Carr, the Michigan Wolve ...

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

team from 2000 to 2003. As a senior in 2003, he rushed for 1,674 yards and 18

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s and finished fourth in

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

voting and fourth in Michigan annals for rushing yards in a season. Perry was recognized as a consensus All-American, and also received the

Doak Walker Award The Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. Established in 1990, it is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Foot ...

, given to the nation's top running back, was the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

rushing champion, and was named the Big Ten Conference MVP. Perry set a Michigan game record with 51 carries in a 27–20 win over

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

on November 1, 2003. He finished his career at Michigan fifth on the school's career rushing list with 3,696 yards and third in rushing touchdowns with 39.

Statistics

Professional career

Perry was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (26th overall) in the

. He made his NFL debut at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

on October 3, but he played only two games in his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

season with the Bengals due to injuries, starting neither of them. He ran the ball twice, gaining 1 yard, with a long of 1 yard and no touchdowns, for an average of 0.5 yds/carry. However, he caught three receptions for 33 yards, with a long of 13 yards and no touchdowns, for an average of 11 yds/reception. He never fumbled. Perry played in the 2005 season, complementing

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

running back Rudi Johnson. He played in 14 games, only starting two, finishing the 2005 season with 279 rushing yards along with 51 receptions for 328 yards and two touchdowns. His 51 receptions were the most by a Bengals running back in one season since James Brooks caught 54 passes in 1986. Perry fractured his leg in the 11th game of the 2006 season, ending his season. On August 27, 2008, the Bengals cut running back Rudi Johnson from the team, solidifying Perry as the starter for the 2008 season. Perry was released after the season on April 27, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Chris 1981 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Cincinnati Bengals players Fork Union Military Academy alumni Michigan Wolverines football players People from Davie County, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen

Early life

College career

Statistics

Professional career

See also

References