RIP Ray Perkins

When the Bucs hired him a bunch of Alabama beat writers were at the news conference, mostly because they were so glad he was gone

Perkins, Bryant's successor at Alabama, dies

 

Ray Perkins once punched out his ex-wrestler tackle, Ron Heller, in the shower after a game. Perkins was fired after the season and Heller went on to Philadelphia.

 

Nevermind.

 

It’s 2020, if you don’t have anything nice to say, say it

 

What do Ray Perkins and Gus Malzahn have in common?

 

Bammers hate both of them.

 

His leaving allowed the Giants to promote Bill Parcells, so that worked out beautifully.

 

That is now near an extinct breed, future coaches who once played for Bryant

 

Actually, Perkins held on for nearly three more seasons. I believe the Heller incident was in the locker room at the Superdome in 1987.

Four months earlier, Perkins had his team running three-a-days in Tampa's crushing heat and humidity. While he would slightly scale back from that in future years, most of his teams had a habit of running out of gas after five or six regular-season games.

Still, you can't write the history of offensive football without him. Along with Ron Erhardt, in the 1970s he wrote the basic offensive scheme and nomenclature that some NFL teams continue to use to this day -- basically anyone tangentially connected to the Patriots. He gave Bill Parcells his first NFL job. He brought Bill Belichick onto his staff.

 

It was the Superdome indeed. It was Vinny Testaverde's first pro start. I agree he's an interesting link. Also drafted Phil Simms.

 

Thank God. That was poisonous.

I'll have to see what Finebaum had to say about Perkins today and tomorrow, maybe dig out some of his old columns from the Post-Herald. There were sportswriters here who whipped Ray Perkins till the bones in his back showed. And Bill Curry got it worse.

 

Following Bear Bryant prepared him to follow the legend that was Leemsn Bennett.