Joe Perrault was born in Green Bay, but moved to Ishpeming, Michigan as a young boy, where he learned to ski jump. During World War II, he served in the 10th Mountain Division, stationed at Camp Hale, Colorado. In combat, he was awarded a Silver Star for carrying his wounded sergeant to safety. After the war he started the Ishpeming Junior Ski Club, which trained numerous young skiers. After the 1948 Winter Olympics. Perrault also made the 1952 Winter Olympics, but a back injury prevented him from competing. In 1949 he broke the North American record with a jump of 297 feet (90.5 m) at Iron Mountain, Michigan. In 1971 he was inducted into the US Ski Jumping Hall of Fame.