Chicago Bears running back Senorise Perry (32) works while wearing a Breast Cancer Awareness cap in his game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Atlanta.ATLANTA – It really didn’t hit Senorise Perry that he was about to live out his childhood dream until the morning of Sept. 7.
Hours before the former Chattooga High School and Louisville University star would arrive at Soldier Field to play in his first regular-season game for the Chicago Bears, the undrafted rookie running back had a moment of reality.
“I really didn’t take it in until the day of the first game,” Perry said when asked how he celebrated the news he had made the NFL team’s 53-man roster. “I woke up that day and took a deep breath, and it finally clicked to me that I was in the NFL.”
It’s been a long and not exactly drama-free road from Summerville, Ga., to the Windy City for Perry. A multisport star at Chattooga — he made Best of Preps teams in football and basketball and was a state sprint champion — the two-star recruit wasn’t courted by in-state colleges, so when Louisville came in with a late offer he jumped on it.
After appearing in 23 games in his first two seasons for the Cardinals, Perry worked himself into a starting position as a junior and was leading the team with 705 yards and 11 touchdowns when he suffered a torn ACL in the 10th game of the season. He returned to get 700 more yards as a senior as he split time in the backfield, but despite good workouts for NFL teams his name wasn’t called on draft week.