Walter Ray Perkins was an American football coach and player.
14 Facts About Ray Perkins
2.
Ray Perkins played as a wide receiver for the University of Alabama and Baltimore Colts.
3.
Ray Perkins later worked as a football coach for 28 years, including stints as the head coach for the New York Giants, the University of Alabama, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Arkansas State University.
4.
Ray Perkins played for coach Bear Bryant and was a teammate of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Namath and Ken Stabler.
5.
Ray Perkins played for the National Football League's Baltimore Colts as a wide receiver from 1967 to 1971, initially under coach Don Shula.
6.
Ray Perkins hired future NFL head coaches Parcells, Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel as young assistants, and was the first NFL coach for future Most Valuable Player and Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor and future Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Phil Simms.
7.
When Bryant retired after the 1982 season, Ray Perkins took on the daunting task of succeeding him at Alabama.
8.
Ray Perkins served as head coach and general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1987 to 1990.
9.
Ray Perkins never won more than five games in Tampa Bay; his tenure came during an NFL-record streak of 12 consecutive 10-loss seasons.
10.
Ray Perkins was fired midway through the 1990 season, and replaced by his offensive coordinator, fellow Alabama alumnus Richard Williamson.
11.
Ray Perkins returned to college coaching at Arkansas State University in 1992.
12.
Ray Perkins spent 1997 with the Oakland Raiders as an offensive coordinator.
13.
In 1992, former Alabama player Gene Jelks, who had been recruited by Ray Perkins, publicly accused Alabama coaches and boosters of providing him with illegal cash payments and other inducements during his recruitment and years at Alabama.
14.
Ray Perkins died at his home on the morning of December 9,2020, at 79 years old.