His younger brother Ian played at St Kilda and Hawthorn.
Pearson enlisted three weeks after his eighteenth birthday, serving in Townsville and New Guinea with the Royal Australian Air Force.
[2] Pearson made his debut in the opening round of the 1945 VFL season against Essendon and kicked four goals.
Despite only playing 13 games in the 1953 season, Pearson was Hawthorn's equal leading vote-getter at the Brownlow Medal count that year.
[4] He won a Gardiner Medal in 1954 as playing coach of the reserves but also participated in seven VFL games during the year.