Perry Jeter
American football player (1931–2019)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Perry Jeter (May 17, 1931 – May 18, 2019) was an American professional football halfback. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1956 to 1957.[1][2]
Brevard, North Carolina, U.S.
Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.
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| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | May 17, 1931 Brevard, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | May 18, 2019 (aged 88) Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Steubenville (OH) | ||||||||||||
| College | Cal Poly | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1955: 26th round, 311th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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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]
| 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]
He went on to play for the Wheeling Ironmen in the United Football League from 1962 to 1963.
| 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 |
