Ray Perkins, who coached at the college and professional football levels for more than 40 years, died Wednesday morning.
Perkins, 79, passed away at his home in Northport, Alabama, after battling with heart issues for the last few years, according to AL.com.
Perkins is best known as the man who succeeded Paul “Bear” Bryant as head coach at Alabama.
He coached the Crimson Tide for four seasons from 1983 to 1986 and put together a record of 32-15-1, including 3-0 in bowl games. He left Alabama and signed a lucrative contract to take over the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
Before succeeding Bryant, Perkins was head coach of the New York Giants. He hired future NFL head coaches Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and Romeo Crennel as young assistants.
He was later head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arkansas State University. He has also coached for the Patriots, Browns and Raiders.
From 1964 to ’66, Perkins was a wide receiver at Alabama, during which time the team compiled a 30-2-1 record, including two national championships and three SEC titles. As a senior, he was team captain, SEC Player of the Year and an All-American. He played in two Orange Bowls and one Sugar Bowl.
Perkins was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and played five seasons, including in Super Bowl III in 1969 and Super Bowl V in 1971 when the Colts were Super Bowl champions.
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