Ray Perkins Has Passed Away

[Ole Man Dan]

I would like to see us wear white helmets Saturday in honor of CRP.

NEVER

 

[Bama197]

So when John Forney came back in 1988, my uncle listened to the kickoff which I think was Temple, said that right before the game kicked off he welcomed everyone to the 1948 season. Bless him.

 

[Tenntiderman]

https://www.facebook.com/Bryant.Museum/posts/10159115174483559

I was watching on TV when Perkins caught his first pass as a Colt. He got into a fight with the DB!

 

[selmaborntidefan]

So when John Forney came back in 1988, my uncle listened to the kickoff which I think was Temple, said that right before the game kicked off he welcomed everyone to the 1948 season. Bless him.

Well, we DID open 1948 against Tulane....Tulane, Temple........two six-letter words that start with "T" and field lousy football teams more often than not.......

 

[We_are_Bama]

Forney had been on Alabama radio from 1953 onward and became the play by play announcer in 1964. Perkins replaced him in 1982 with an unknown, to Bama fans, which created a great outcry from Bryant era fans. He came back under Curry for a bit prior to Eli Gold taking over.

From my viewpoint Forney will always be the Voice of the Crimson Tide.

He replaced Forney with Paul Kennedy. Kennedy never endeared himself to the fan base

 

[Tide Rev]

When I was coaching HS football in the mid 80s, Coach Dubose was our area recruiter. We had a kid who played RB who was 6’2”, 195 lbs and ran a 4.34 40 and had 2000 yards rushing his senior year. Every big school was recruiting him. We took a visit to Bama and when we went to meet Coach Perkins, he did not even acknowledge us or our RB. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Coach Dubose called me on the following Monday and apologized for Perkins behavior. It always left a bad taste in my mouth. The RB decided not to play college football and later told me he always dreamed of playing for Bama but was not going there after the way Perkins snubbed us. So he just went to work and never put on the pads again after graduation.

I have since gotten over it. I have heard due to the head injury Coach Perkins had good days and those not so good. God bless him and RIP

 

[Padreruf]

When I was coaching HS football in the mid 80s, Coach Dubose was our area recruiter. We had a kid who played RB who was 6’2”, 195 lbs and ran a 4.34 40 and had 2000 yards rushing his senior year. Every big school was recruiting him. We took a visit to Bama and when we went to meet Coach Perkins, he did not even acknowledge us or our RB. It left a sour taste in my mouth. Coach Dubose called me on the following Monday and apologized for Perkins behavior. It always left a bad taste in my mouth. The RB decided not to play college football and later told me he always dreamed of playing for Bama but was not going there after the way Perkins snubbed us. So he just went to work and never put on the pads again after graduation.

I have since gotten over it. I have heard due to the head injury Coach Perkins had good days and those not so good. God bless him and RIP

He could run hot and cold as much as any person I've ever seen or heard. Head injuries often affect us long before they show up.

 

[deliveryman35]

I would like to see us wear white helmets Saturday in honor of CRP.

I agree that it would be a fitting tribute, but don't expect to get much support for it on this forum. The red helmets are sacrosanct around here.

 

[Crimson Speed]

Just as an aside, many people don’t realize that Perkins had a very serious head injury as a freshman at The Capstone, requiring surgery and the placement of a steel plate in his head. Yet he went on to complete his football career at Alabama and then for a period of time in the pros.

Not making excuses for Coach Perkins, but some of Ray’s “personality issues” may have been related to that. My late brother’s personality change significantly after frontal lobe trauma from an auto accident. In many ways it was similar to that of Coach Perkins, ...at times extremely aloof, very curt, and sometimes situationally inappropriate. It was what many the medical community call having a “flat affect”.

I always thought of this when I saw him interviewed or on his football review show.

I was going to mention that he had a plate inserted in his head because of an injury. Perkins and Holman were a great receiver combination. He was, as I recall, somewhat strong headed, but he had a lot on the ball to have coached two professional teams and major college football. Honestly, any coach following Paul Bryant had little chance of a long term tenure at the Capstone. I respected him for his willingness to accept Coach Bryant's choice. I remember him removing the tower and that did not go over very well at the time.

 

[Vinny]

I have had this poster from a long time ago. It’s hanging in my mother’s basement.