Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on August 4, 1926, Perry had a journeyman’s life in football, with the emphasis on journey, that included two-and-a-half stints in Green Bay. Moss enrolled at his hometown university and played single-wing tailback for the Golden Hurricanes in their 1945 Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech before entering the Air Force. When he mustered out two years later, Moss transferred to Illinois and quarterbacked the Illini to a 45-14 win over UCLA in the 1947 Rose Bowl as a junior.
The Packers drafted Perry in the 13th round in 1948, and the 5’10” field general got to start just one game for the Pack as a rookie and completed just four of 17 passes for 20 yards. A year later at the age of 23, he began a 50-year coaching career that would encompass 26 different positions, none lasting longer than seven seasons, at his alma mater. He spent 17 years at seven universities, with two head coaching gigs; seven years as an assistant in the NFL; four years in the Canadian Football League, three as a head coach; one as a head coach in the World Football League, one as an assistant in the USFL, three as a head man in the Continental Football League, one as a head coach in the United Football League; two as a head man in the American Football Association; eleven years in Arena Football, 10 as head coach; and one helping to get the World League of American Football launched. 22 years as a head coach and 25 as an assistant:
1949: University of Illinois, asst.
1950-51: University of Washington, asst.
1952-53: LSU, backfield coach
1954-57: University of Miami, backfield coach (also spent four weeks at Hamilton Tiger Cats training camp, 1955)
1958: Wisconsin, backfield coach
1959: Florida State, HC, 4-6
1960-62: Montreal Alouettes, HC, 13-25-4
1963: While being paid not to coach by Montreal, did some bird-dog scouting for Packers, covering Southeast
1964: UFL Charlotte Rockets, HC, 11-3
1965: CoFL Charlotte Rockets, HC, 14-0
1966-67: CoFL Orlando Panthers, HC, 23-5
1968: Marshall University, HC, 0-9-1
1969: Suspended by Marshall due to recruiting violations, tries unsuccessfully to be reinstated.
1970-73: Chicago Bears, OC and QBs coach, nurturing Virgil Carter, Bobby Douglass and Jack Concannon
1974: Green Bay Packers, QB coach, teaching Jerry Tagge
1975: WFL San Antonio Wings, HC, 7-6
1976-78: University of Kentucky, QB coach
1979: AFA Charlotte Chargers, HC 11-3
1980: AFA West Virginia Rockets, HC, 8-0
1980-81: University of Kentucky, asst (overlap with AFA job)
1982: Ottawa Rough Riders, backfield coach
1983-84: Buffalo Bills, tight ends coach
1985: USFL Orlando Renegades, asst
1986: University of Central Florida, DC
1987: Arena Pittsburgh Gladiators, asst
1988: Arena Chicago Bruisers, HC, 10-1-1
1989: Announced HC of Amsterdam entry in WLAF, but launch delayed till 1990
1990: Arena Detroit Drive, HC, 6-2
1991-97: Arena Orlando Predators, HC, 59-25
1998-99: Retired
2000: Arena2 Jacksonville Tomcats, HC, 9-7
Perry’s older brother Les had a similar wandering career in professional baseball, 13 years as a major league catcher and then another 40 as a major and minor league coach and manager. Perry’s son Les followed his father’s coaching footsteps, coaching over 30 years in Arena Football and even winning a championship.
Moss once said, “It would be nice for every coach to have what Don Shula has at Miami, a steady job where you know you’re going to have the opportunity to win every year. I never quite got there. I really think that if I had stayed at Florida State, I still might be there today, because they were just on the verge of becoming a power. I regret leaving there.”
A member of both the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and the Arena Football Hall of Fame, he passed away at age 88 on August 7, 2014.
Both custom cards are colorized.
packers past perfect 