Chris Perry didn’t look like a man who should have been exhausted. Nor did he sound like one whose coach once accused him of being selfish.
“Give me the ball 60 times or three times as long as we win,” proclaimed the Michigan tailback after his school-record 51 carries for 221 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines’ 27-20 victory Nov. 1 at Michigan State.
When Michigan coach Lloyd Carr addressed the media after Perry that day, he wanted to know what his senior leader and resident character had said.
“I hope he wasn’t complaining,” cracked the usually staid Carr before adding, “Perry has the heart of a champion. I love that kid.”
Perry, the recipient of the 2003 Tribune Silver Football honoring the Big Ten’s most valuable player, has come a long way in both his development as one of the most complete football players in the nation as well as in his relationship with Carr.
Two years ago, the two were at a stalemate over what Carr perceived as Perry’s self-centered attitude and Perry’s desire to fulfill a potential he felt was being suppressed.
“There was never any question about his ability or his passion for the game,” Carr said. “It was simply that he had a lot of things to learn like any young player, and he was competing for the job and felt like his role should be much different than what I felt he had earned.
“I said, `Chris, this is the way it’s going to be here, and I’m not going to change. We don’t have a star system, we’re not going to treat you differently than anyone else, so these are the things we expect you to be. And if you’re not willing to do them, maybe you should look for a place to transfer.’ But it wasn’t exactly in those nice, calm tones. I was frustrated.”
And so was Perry, who had gone through four years of military school and was ready to break free of the authority he believed was holding him back.
“I was very sensitive to any hint that I was not up to par in any area,” Perry said. “And when he said `You can transfer,’ I felt he was letting me know I wasn’t good enough to keep around.”
And Perry admits if it wasn’t for his mother, Irene Egerton Perry, who moved from tiny Advance, N.C., to Ann Arbor at the beginning of her son’s junior year, he may not have stuck around.
“I just felt if he went to another school, it would be like quitting and would be one of those things where he’d always look back and say, `If only I stayed.'” said his mother, who has been undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer diagnosed last summer. “I told Coach Carr and [running backs coach Fred] Jackson that I would support them as long as they didn’t break his spirit because he was very, very confident about football.”
So confident that ultimately, that was what persuaded him to stay.
“I think my trials and tribulations with Coach Carr really helped me become a better player,” said Perry, who is on track to graduate in April. “I had to change, had to do something to prove him wrong. I felt like he was questioning my ability and I just wanted to prove everyone wrong. It ended up being a motivational tactic.”
Anyone who knows Carr could guess it wasn’t all that tactical.
“There was never any doubt that I thought he could be a very good football player,” he said. “So I think once he bought into the things I was asking him to do, he became really fun to be around and to coach.”
Carr said the light came on for Perry in late spring or early summer before an All-America junior season that Perry would cap by being named MVP of the Outback Bowl for his 108 yards receiving and 85 yards on the ground against Florida.
“I remember Fred Jackson called me into his office,” Carr said, “and said, `Lloyd look at this.’ On the board, it said, `You will never have to get on me or worry about me again,’ and Chris had signed it. And honestly, from that moment, he never was a distraction again.”
Perry, whom Carr said has developed into “a devastating pass blocker,” is the nation’s leader in average all-purpose yards per game at 162. He also has the Michigan record for receptions by a running back in a season with 42. But just as important to his blossoming into a complete player is his leadership.
“When he started this season, you could just feel his presence because of the emotion that emanates from him is so special,” Carr said. “As a result, not only was he a great football player but a great leader and a great inspiration, because all the kids on the team knew what his mother was going through and what he was going through. He inspired all of us.”
Though she said her prognosis is positive, Irene Perry must undergo three more sessions of chemotherapy before radiation and a possible mastectomy. She will accompany her son to the Heisman Trophy ceremony this weekend and to the Rose Bowl.
“I hear the pundits say Michigan doesn’t have a chance against USC and I think it’s good they’re saying that,” his mother said. “I know if Christopher hears that, he’ll just say, `OK, here we go again.'”
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Perry by the numbers
OPPONENT RUN YDS TD REC YDS TD
Cent. Michigan 22 232 2 1 17 0
Houston 27 184 2 5 23 0
Notre Dame 31 133 3 4 44 1
Oregon 11 26 0 2 -3 0
Indiana 21 112 0 2 8 0
Iowa 24 87 1 2 11 0
Minnesota 20 85 1 11 122 1
Illinois 24 140 3 1 6 0
Purdue 28 95 0 2 16 0
Michigan State 51 219 1 2 17 0
Northwestern 25 122 2 5 50 0
Ohio State 31 154 2 5 55 0
TOTALS 315 1,589 17 42 366 2
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Best of rest in Big Ten
Michigan’s Chris Perry was his team’s MVP, but who represents the other 10 teams?
Illinois
Derrick Strong, DE: Strong ranks ninth on Illinois’ all-time sack list (14) and has 30 career tackles for loss.
Indiana
Joe Gonzalez, S: Injured the first three games of the season, Gonzalez still finished sixth on the team with 44 tackles, 36 unassisted.
Iowa
Robert Gallery, OT: He will be a consensus All-American and is among the three finalists for the Outland Trophy. Gallery has started 43 straight games for the Hawkeyes and allowed just one sack all season.
Michigan State
Jeff Smoker, QB: Smoker was the Big Ten’s passing leader at 269.9 yards per game. He also set MSU records for pass completions (281), pass attempts (449) and career victories (21).
Minnesota
Asad Abdul-Khaliq, QB: Minnesota’s career total offense leader, Abdul-Khaliq ranked third in the nation and was first in the Big Ten in passing efficiency with a 165.65 rating. He was only the fourth Minnesota quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a career (1,129), is the school record-holder in career passing TDs (55) and is second in passing yardage (6,488) and career completions (469).
Northwestern
Jason Wright, RB: He became only the third running back in NU history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and is currently fifth on the school’s all-time rushing list. The two-time, first-team Academic All-American ranked second in the nation in rushing TDs with 19.
Ohio State
Michael Jenkins, WR: Known for his sure hands and ability to catch the ball in a crowd, Jenkins was the Buckeyes’ leading receiver this season (50 for 738 yards, 5 TDs) and has caught at least one pass in all 38 games over the last three years. He currently ranks second in school history in career receiving yards (2,802), just 54 yards shy of the record set by David Boston.
Penn State
Sean McHugh, FB: McHugh finished third on the team in rushing with 256 yards on 54 carries for a 4.7 average with three touchdowns. He was also the third-leading receiver with 27 catches for 185 yards and one TD.
Purdue
Shaun Phillips, DE: Purdue may be considered the cradle of quarterbacks but Phillips is the latest in the school’s growing tradition of defensive ends, following in the footsteps of NFL players Rosevelt Colvin, Chike Okeafor, Chukie Nwokorie and Akin Ayodele. Phillips led the Big Ten and was sixth in the nation in sacks (13.5); he led the conference in tackles for loss.
Wisconsin
Lee Evans, WR: His 258 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 10 catches against Michigan State set school and Big Ten records. Wisconsin’s first two-time MVP since Al Toon in 1983-84, Evans is No. 2 in Big Ten history in all-time receiving yardage (3,417).
