Gregg
Perry, a long-time coach for the successful Delaware
football program, is in his second season as the offensive line coach at Princeton.
In his
first season, Perry guided a group of linemen who had combined for zero varsity
starts prior to the season and turned it into a group that helped lead Princeton to the No. 1 total offense in the league. He
led a group that played as many as three freshmen at one time, including Mark
Paski, who became the only freshman in Princeton
football history to start every game of a season on the offensive line.
Perry, who
joined the Delaware
football staff in 1981 after serving as head freshman coach for two seasons,
served as the offensive line coach for 21 seasons from 1981 until 2001. He left
the staff following the retirement of legendary head coach Tubby Raymond, who
won 300 games over 36 seasons and was inducted into the College Football Hall
of Fame. Perry had worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley prior to
his arrival to Princeton.
Perry was a
three-year letterwinner as a fullback and tight end and played on Delaware’s 1974-76 teams
that won 28 games, two Lambert Cup trophies and reached the NCAA Division II
playoffs twice under Raymond. He was a teammate of long-time Princeton
defensive coordinator Steve Verbit. The 1974 squad went 12-2 and advanced to
the NCAA Division II national championship game before falling to Central Michigan in the finals. The 1975 and ?76 teams
both won eight games apiece, with the latter advancing to the NCAA
quarterfinals.
A 1977
graduate of Delaware,
Perry earned his master’s degree from his alma mater in 1979 while serving as a
graduate assistant to the varsity coaching staff. He then served as freshman
head coach in 1979-80, leading the team to a record of 8-2.
Perry’s
success with the offensive line was a major factor in Delaware consistently being one of the
top-ranked offensive teams in NCAA Division I-AA. The Blue Hens led the Yankee
Conference (now Atlantic 10 Football Conference) in rushing from 1991-94 and
annually ranked among the national leaders in I-AA in that category.
During his
tenure, Perry produced nine All-Americans, including offensive tackle Jim
Stull, who had a tryout with the Carolina Panthers in 2000, and Jason Nerys,
who earned All-America honors in 2003.
Perry’s
wife Joyce is a legend in the Delaware
athletic department. She is in the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame as both a
player and coach for the women’s basketball team. The Perrys have two sons,
Rhett and Trey. Rhett will attend Delaware
this fall, where he will play volleyball. Trey is a junior in high school and
plays both volleyball and basketball.
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