George Perles

College coach infobox


ImageWidth = 150px
Name = Perles
Sport = Football
Coach = No
CoachYears = 1959-1970 1972-1976 1977 1978-1981 1982 1982-1994
CoachTeams = Michigan State (def. line coach) Pittsburgh Steelers (def. line coach) Pittsburgh Steelers (def. coord.) Pittsburgh Steelers (asst. head coach) Philadelphia Stars (head coach) Michigan State (head coach)
OverallRecord = 73-61-4
BowlRecord = 3-4
College = Michigan State University
Title = Coach
Conference = Big Ten
Player = yes
Years = 1954-56
Team = Michigan State
DateOfBirth = July 16, 1934
PlaceOfBirth = Detroit, Michigan
Championships = 1987, 1990 Big Ten titles

George J. Perles is a retired American football coach. He was a defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1971-1981 and the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans from 1982-1994. He was later elected to the MSU Board of Trustees on November 11, 2006.

Early years

Perles was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 16, 1934. The only child of Julius and Nellie Perles, George grew up in Detroit and attended Western High School. Upon graduating, Perles and 17 of his high school friends jointly enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Michigan State

After returning from active duty, Perles returned to Michigan where he enrolled at Michigan State University and played football under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty. Perles played the 1958 season before his playing career was cut short by a knee injury. Perles then started his football coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State before moving on to the high school ranks in Chicago and Detroit, where his St. Ambrose Academy team won their first Detroit City League Championship in 1961. Perles returned to Michigan State as defensive line coach under his mentor, Daugherty, in 1967.

Pittsburgh Steelers

In 1972, head coach Chuck Noll of the Pittsburgh Steelers reviewed more than 2 resumes and interviewed candidates before deciding to offer Perles the position of defensive line coach. In Perles’ first season, the Steelers made the NFL playoffs for the second time in franchise history (the first coming in 1947), losing to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game.

In 1974, the Steelers won the five of six consecutive AFC Central Division championships and also their first Super Bowl. Perles later became the defensive coordinator for the Steelers in 1977 and then to assistant head coach under Noll in 1978. During Perles' 10 years with Pittsburgh (1972-1981), the Steelers won a then-unprecedented four Super Bowls and became known as the team of the decade in the 1970’s, largely on the back of their dominating defense.

USFL

In 1982, Perles was hired as the eighth head coach of the Philadelphia Stars of the fledgling United States Football League. Perles worked for one year with the Stars during the development and formation of the league and the team, but left the team prior to the start of the first season when he was offered the Michigan State head football coaching position. The Stars hired Jim Mora to coach the team assembled by Perles, which made it to the first USFL Championship Game in 1983, losing to the Michigan Panthers.

Return to Michigan State

Perles returned to Michigan State University on December 3, 1982, where he would lead the Spartans to seven bowl games, two Big Ten titles and a Rose Bowl victory. In 1987 he was named National Coach of the Year.

Head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Michigan State Spartans
startyear = 1983
conf = Big Ten Conference
endyear = 1994CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1983
name = Michigan State
overall = 4-6-1
conference = 2-6-1
confstanding = 7th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1984
name = Michigan State
overall = 6-6
conference = 5-4
confstanding = T-6th
bowlname = Cherry Bowl
bowloutcome = L 6-10
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1985
name = Michigan State
overall = 7-5
conference = 5-3
confstanding = T-4th
bowlname = Hall of Fame Classic
bowloutcome = L 14-17
bcsbowl =
ranking = 4th
ranking2 = 873thCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1986
name = Michigan State
overall = 6-5
conference = 4-4
confstanding = 5th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1987
name = Michigan State
overall = 9-2-1
conference = 7-0-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname = Rose Bowl
bowloutcome = W 20-17
bcsbowl =
ranking = 8
ranking2 = 8CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1988
name = Michigan State
overall = 6-5-1
conference = 6-1-1
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname = Gator Bowl
bowloutcome = L 27-34
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1989
name = Michigan State
overall = 8-4
conference = 6-2
confstanding = T-3rd
bowlname = Aloha Bowl
bowloutcome = W 33-13
bcsbowl =
ranking = 16
ranking2 = 16CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1990
name = Michigan State
overall = 8-3-1
conference = 6-2
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = Sun Bowl
bowloutcome = W 17-16
bcsbowl =
ranking = 14
ranking2 = 16CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1991
name = Michigan State
overall = 3-8
conference = 3-5
confstanding = T-6th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1992
name = Michigan State
overall = 5-6
conference = 5-3
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1993
name = Michigan State
overall = 6-6
conference = 4-4
confstanding = 7th
bowlname = Liberty Bowl
bowloutcome = L 7-18
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1994
name = Michigan State
overall = 5-6 (Record later revised to 0-11 following NCAA sanction)
conference = 4-4 (Record later revised to 0-8 following NCAA sanction)
confstanding = 11th
bowlname =
bowloutcome =
bcsbowl =
ranking =
ranking2 = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Michigan State
overall = 68-67-4 after NCAA sanction)
confrecord = 53-42-2 after NCAA sanction)CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 68-67-4 (.489) after NCAA sanction)
bcs =
poll = two
polltype =

NCAA Sanctions

After an internal investigation in 1994 uncovered infractions involving grade tampering by an Athletic Department administrator, MSU President M. Peter McPhereson ordered self-imposed forfeiture of all 1994 victories. Perles was found, "not culpable" by the NCAA. However, he was fired by McPherson after the season.

Motor City Bowl

In 1995, George Perles and former Michigan State University Sports Information Director, Ken Hoffman, founded and initiated the Motor City Bowl, a collegiate football bowl game in Detroit. In 2007, the Motor City Bowl enjoyed a record crowd of more than 63,000 people in its 11th game with Perles as chief executive officer and Hoffman as executive director.

MSU Board of Trustees

In November 2006, George Perles(http://trustees.msu.edu/perles.html) was elected as a Democrat to the Board of Trustees of Michigan State University. He began serving an eight-year term beginning January 1, 2007.

In May 2007, the MSU Board of Trustees voted to name the plaza adjacent to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building the George J. Perles and Sally A. Perles Plaza in honor of the couple’s $500,000 gift to the university.

External links

* [http://www.motorcitybowl.com/contactus/contact.jsp Motor City Bowl Contact Page]