Football great Rex Berry, an all-pro defensive back in 1950s with the San Francisco 49ers, died Friday at his home in Provo. He was 80.
Known as the "Carbon Comet" as a high-school star at Carbon High School in Price, Berry was named all-State in football, basketball and baseball and placed second in the all-around at the high school track invitational at BYU. He played football at Carbon Junior College (now College of Eastern Utah) before serving in the Navy during World War II.
After the war, he played baseball and ran track at Brigham Young University but it was on the football field where he most excelled. He played three seasons for the Cougars and was named all-Skyline Conference as a defensive back before being drafted by the 49ers in the 14th round of the 1950 NFL Draft.
Playing alongside future Hall of Famers Y.A. Tittle, Hugh McElhenny, Leo Nomellini, John Henry Johnson and Bob St. Clair, Berry played six seasons in San Francisco, from 1951 through 1956, and was team captain his last two seasons.
His first pass interception came in his rookie season when he picked off Los Angeles Ram quarterback Bob Waterfield on a pass intended for Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch. Nicknamed "Reliable Rex" by the San Francisco press, Berry went on to record 22 pass interceptions in his career, including three for touchdowns. Both totals stood as 49er records until Ronnie Lott broke them in the 1980s.
His best season was in 1953 when he had seven interceptions in 12 games and the 49ers finished with a 9-3 record, then the franchise's best-ever season.
In 1957, Berry retired from professional football, leaving a $12,500 yearly salary to go to work for U.S. Steel as a chemical salesman. In 1973 he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and in 1989 his hometown of Helper, Utah, observed "Rex Berry Day" and named the playing field at Helper Junior High "Rex Berry Field." He lived in Sandy and Provo.
He is survived by his wife, Helen, children Linda, Doug and Julie, 14 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.