Bills Today: Why Senorise Perry wanted to be the first Bill to wear No. 32 in more than 40 years - BuffaloBills.com

1. Why Senorise Perry wanted to be the first Bill to wear No 32 in more than 40 years

For the first time since 1977 the Bills have awarded a player the No. 32 jersey, which formerly belonged to Hall of Fame running back O.J. Simpson.

Perry signed with the Bills this past offseason and enters his sixth year in the NFL. Perry has previous stints with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. He’s spent the past two seasons in Miami where he’s found his niche as a special teams player.

Perry has returned 18 kicks the last two seasons for an average of 20.3 yards per return. He’s also recorded 22 tackles, two forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles in his career.

Simpson spent 1969-1977 with the Bills where he was a four-time rushing champ and in 1973 became the first back to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season.

“Something we did talk about when it was brought up by Perry that we know it is a number that was important to him and his family,” head coach Sean McDermott said. “So we felt like we would honor that request and we definitely vetted it out and talked about it.”

McDermott stated that if you polled Bills players the majority wouldn’t even know it was the first time the number has been given out in 42 years.

“I know the situation. I know that greatness comes with that number, playing in Buffalo. But I’m willing to take anything that comes my way," Perry told The Athletic. "I’m going into my sixth year, and I know what it takes to get in this league and stay here. With that number on my back, I know I’m doing well for my family.”

Perry wants to wear the number to honor his uncle. Tim Graham wrote the following about Perry.

Perry wanted to wear No. 32 because it’s a family tradition, especially at Chattooga High in Summerville, Ga. Perry idolized his Uncle Kibarah, and that’s where the lineage began.

“When I was young, I was going through some picture albums with my mother,” Kibarah London said. London’s dad and Perry’s grandfather “was a big football star in our hometown, and he wore 23. But he was always absent in our lives.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to be anything like my father. I want to be the total opposite as an athlete, as a man.’ So I flipped the number and wore it in every sport. It just went from there.”

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2019-05-22 09:01:21Z
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