I’m 335lb Chicago Bears legend and Shuffle icon who paved way for Travis Hunter as iconic two-way NFL star
Travis Hunter is a generational talent.
The Heisman Trophy winner had a forgettable rookie season in the NFL, as he had his campaign ended in early November due to an injury to his right knee.
This was a devastating blow to the former Colorado standout who was looking to establish his credentials as a two-way star.
Hunter had surgery to have the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee repaired.
He is expected to return to football activities by May of next year.
Hunter suffered the noncontact injury during practice on Oct.30, with his last game coming in a 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London in Week 7.
That game marked Hunter’s best performance as a pro as he caught eight passes for 104 yards, as well as scoring his first NFL touchdown.
In total for the 2025 season, Hunter has 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown, while on defence, he has 15 tackles and three pass breakups.
The rookie played in 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps until his season ended.
All in all, Hunter is yet to establish himself as a serious two-way player in the NFL despite excelling on both sides of the ball at the University of Colorado.
He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns in his last season at college.
The 6ft 1in top prospect also recorded 35 tackles, snagged four interceptions and broke up 11 passes.
Hunter can take inspiration from William Perry
To be fair to Hunter, a player thriving on both sides of the ball is a rarity at the pro level.
It’s rarely been done in recent history, although players in the early eras did it more often.
One of the first icons of the modern era to play both sides of the ball was William Perry, aka ‘The Refrigerator’.
The 335-pound Perry was nearly double Hunter’s weight (185 lbs), and played college football for the Clemson Tigers.
Perry won ACC Player of the Year at Clemson and was a member of their 1981 national championship team.
It was also where he earned his ‘Refrigerator’ nickname, coined when a fellow player could barely squeeze into an elevator with Perry and their laundry which they were taking to be washed.
The player, Ray Brown, said “Man, you’re about as big as a refrigerator.”
Perry was eventually selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft.
He was mainly used as a defensive tackle, but during his rookie campaign for the legendary ’85 Bears he occasionally lined up at fullback in goal line situations.
Perry was often deployed there when the team was near the opponents’ goal line or in fourth and short situations, either as a ball carrier or a lead blocker for star running back Walter Payton.
During his rookie season he rushed for two touchdowns and caught a pass for one.
The most iconic play of his career came in Super Bowl XX against the New England Patriots.
Perry scored a rushing touchdown in the 1985 big game, running over Patriots linebacker Larry McGrew in a 46-10 Chicago victory.
‘The Refrigerator’ is still the heaviest player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. His Super Bowl ring size, 25, is also the largest of any professional football player in the history of the NFL showpiece.
Perry eventually shifted away from fullback duties, focusing on his role as a defensive lineman.
The Super Bowl Shuffle
One of the most iconic features of that 1985 Bears team was the iconic rap music video they made.
The song the team made is called “The Super Bowl Shuffle” and is a hip-hop production of members of the Chicago Bears rapping and dancing on a nightclub stage.
The video became legendary as this team went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Star players like Walter Payton and Jim McMahon filmed their segments separately against a blue screen, and their images were later edited into the main footage.
And of course, big man Perry was center stage in the video as he was one of the ten principal soloists.
On Nov. 25, 2025, HBO aired a documentary titled “The Shuffle”, which details the making of the iconic rap music video.
Can Hunter emulate Perry?
Over his 10-year career, Perry had 29.5 sacks and more than 500 total tackles. On offense, he had just eight regular-season carries for five yards and two touchdowns.
It remains to be seen if Hunter has a play — or career — as memorable as Perry does.
After Hunter’s injury, some have even questioned whether he will continue as a two-way player come next season.
“I understand there’s a lot of questions about if he’ll remain a two-way player and all those kind of things,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said days after Hunter’s injury.
“All of that is very premature and at the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season and we’ll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on.
Nevertheless, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jaguars have already decided that they will not change Hunter’s role come next season.
To be fair to Hunter, he has looked like a No.1 cornerback and a No.1 reciever. at times this season
He is also just 22 years old; it would be incredibly premature to shut the door on him being a two-way star.
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