Early Years
Perry was born in Aiken, South Carolina. He has stated in an interview that "Even when I was little, I was big"; by the time he was 11 years old, he weighed 200 pounds.
Frequently ridiculed for his weight while growing up, Perry took advantage of his athleticism to silence his critics. He attended Aiken High School and played as a 295-pound nose guard on the school's football team. During an exercise in which his coach instructed all of his fastest players to line up for a 100-yard dash, Perry joined the group of running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs and eventually was timed as the 6th fastest runner on the entire team. He could also execute 360-degree dunks on regulation basketball hoops and perform complicated dives into the swimming pool.
Read more about this topic: William Perry (American Football)
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