SEPTEMBER 2024

CHARLES CONERLY

Gridiron Legend & Advertising Icon

The Other Half of a Power Couple

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

The month of September marks the return of regular season play for NFL Football, thereby giving us an opportunity to remember legendary gridiron players who left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of millions of fans.  In this blog, we honor the memory of Charles Conerly (1921-1996) aka "Chuckin' Charlie" -  whose personal history included distinguished wartime service, NFL Champion & Most Valuable Player as quarterback for the New York Giants, the iconic Marlboro Man in both magazines & television plus a lifetime marriage with his wife, Perian (1926-2021), a distinguished sportswriter & author - long before it became fashionable for both husband and wife to have full-time professional careers!

In the collegiate venue, Conerly played quarterback and graduated from Ole Miss, achieving All-American honors while leading the Rebels to a Southeastern Conference title.  His college career was interrupted by his World War II service in the Pacific Theater for the US Marine Corps where he fought in the Battle of Guam.  From 1948 until his retirement in 1961, Conerly was the quarterback for the New York Giants where he was a two-time Pro Bowler (1950 and 1956), NFL Most Valuable Player (1959) and NFL Champion (1956) by piloting the Giants to a 47-7 victory over the Chicago Bears in the NFL Title Game.  His ruggedly handsome visage and stellar gridiron play made Conerly a marquee QB who easily fit the Madison Avenue image to grace the magazine cover for Sports Illustrated.  

 

Following his playing career, Conerly was a successful business owner of several shoe stores throughout the Mississippi Delta.  He also portrayed the "Marlboro Man" in major nationwide advertisements for Marlboro Cigarettes in both magazines and on television.  Conerly's cowboy image coupled with musical background featuring Elmer Bernstein's theme for "The Magnificent Seven" created an indelible memory for baby boomers all around the world.  Yours truly recalls when visiting Japan on business during the 1980s that this was the most popular advertisement in both print and television in the Land of the Rising Sun.  While everyone knew the Marlboro Man, they did not know it was NFL Champion QB Charlie Conerly!

 

Equally impressive is the lifelong marriage Conerly had with his wife, Perian.  The two made for a glamorous pairing that was decades ahead of the "power celebrity couple" image that is now more commonplace.  Perian was the first female inducted into the Football Writers Guild of America on the strength of her nationally syndicated column (that included prestigious subscribers such as the New York Times) about life in New York during the football season plus a bestselling book titled Backseat Quarterback (published by Doubleday in 1963).  Perian was a wonderful lifetime partner to Charlie.  She was as fashionable as Marilyn Monroe and noted for wearing stilettos with the best of any Madison Avenue fashion model.  Her December 13, 1959 appearance on TV's "What's My Line" speaks to her glamour and her husband's legendary quarterback play (Charlie was NFL MVP that very same year) as her line was that she wrote a football column for newspapers!

As we start the new NFL season, please join us in saluting the memory of Charles Conerly and his wife, Perian.  They forever remain a celebrity power couple that transcends time while holding a special place in the hearts and minds of baby boomers who remember their amazing professional accomplishments.  Please share your memories and thoughts on this month's blog by either posting to the Galaxy FACEBOOK page or writing directly to me at: Haloulakos@gmail.com