The first African-American to be named the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP), he became one of American football's first black stars.

He spent the next 13 seasons playing for San Francisco, where he was featured in the "Million Dollar Backfield", made three straight Pro Bowl appearances, and in 1954 was named the NFL MVP.

Perry retired in 1963 as the league's all-time leader in rushing yards, and in 1969 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fletcher Joseph Perry was born in Stephens, Arkansas, and grew up in Los Angeles, California, after his family moved there during the Great Depression.

[1][2] After being rejected by UCLA, Perry played football at Compton Junior College in 1944, and scored 22 touchdowns that season.

[4] Standing 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighing 200 lb (91 kg), Perry was small for a typical fullback, even during his era.

[5] His role was primarily as a ball carrier rather than a blocker, and he had a knack for finding holes in opposing defensive lines.

[2] Black players were a novelty in pro football when Perry entered the league,[1] and he was faced with racial abuse and discrimination on and off the field.

Following the season, Perry was invited to play in the 1949 AAFC All-Star game against the league champion Cleveland Browns.

The 49ers acquired halfback Hugh McElhenny in the 1952 Draft, who joined Perry in the backfield to form a prolific rushing duo.

[1] A. S. "Doc" Young, writing for Jet magazine, called Perry "the bellwether of the greatest rushing backfield in pro football.

[22] The closest Perry came to winning a championship with the 49ers was in 1957, as San Francisco finished with an 8–4 record but lost the Western Conference tiebreaker game to the Detroit Lions.

That season, he surpassed Steve Van Buren for first place on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list.

[24] Colts head coach Weeb Ewbank cited injuries to fullback Alan Ameche as the key reason for the team's inability to win a third straight NFL championship.

[24] Ameche retired prior to the season,[25] and Perry filled in to lead the Colts in rushing in 1961, while catching a career-high 34 passes for 322 yards.

[10] "Joe was the kind of guy you'd love to play your whole career with," said Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas.

[26] He was traded back to San Francisco in 1963, where he played a diminished role in his final nine games before retiring at age 36.

[10] In addition to his football career, Perry also hosted a popular sports and music radio program, "Both Sides Of The Record", sponsored by Burgermeister Beer ("Burgie"), on R&B-formatted KWBR (1310 AM; later known as KDIA) beginning in 1954.

The program was arranged by Franklin Mieuli, a sports entrepreneur who worked in marketing for Burgie, in addition to being a part-owner of the 49ers and producer of the team's radio and television broadcasts.

Both men were suspected of having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder linked to repeated brain trauma.

[2] He was the NFL's career rushing leader from 1958 to 1963, ultimately compiling 8,378 yards; his record was broken by Jim Brown on October 20, 1963.