Ron Perry was 1 of those all-around athletes who was good at everything. As a high school star at Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury, MA, he set a Massachusetts state scoring record with 2481 career PTS. At Holy Cross he set the school scoring record with 2524 career PTS. When he was not busy starring on the basketball court, he also played a little baseball and was named Cape Cod Baseball League MVP in 1979. After graduating in 1980 he was drafted by both the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Celtics. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ron about being a great athlete and a great student. Today is Ron’s 65th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
Your father Ron pitched 2 complete games in a 3-day stretch to lead Holy Cross to the 1952 NCAA baseball title, and in 1954 he captained the basketball team to the NIT title: how great an athlete was he back in the day, and were you worried about trying to follow in his large footsteps? He was a great athlete so it was great to carry on the tradition: it seemed like he was on a bunch of championship-winning teams dating back to high school. There are not a lot of guys who have won NCAA titles in multiple sports and I do not think that anyone else will do it again at Holy Cross. It was also great to have the opportunity to make my own path.
Your dad also served as AD at Holy Cross for more than 25 years, including the time you were there as a player: how did he enjoy being AD, and was it weird to be an athlete at Holy Cross while he was AD? He was AD from 1972-1998. The reality of it is that he did his job and I played sports. It was nice to have him attend my games but I never felt any additional pressure from him being there.
In 1966 as an 8-year-old you won the national Punt, Pass, and Kick finals in front of 70,000 people at the Orange Bowl: what was it like to win it all, and why did you not stick with football throughout your career? It was somewhat random that I got involved with it: the Ford dealership in West Roxbury was having a local contest and my dad gave me some tips on my technique. I loved to compete and got to do my thing in Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium before making it to the Orange Bowl. I made it back to the finals the following year, and I finished 2nd to a kid who I had beaten the previous year from Walla Walla, WA! I was so young that I had no idea how big a deal it was.
In 1976 you graduated as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the state with 2481 PTS: do you feel like you were 1 of the best high school players in Massachusetts history, and what is the secret to being a great scorer? I will let history be the judge. My dad coached at my high school while I was growing up, and the 1 player of his that stands out in my mind was King Gaskins, who scored 2000+ PTS. I certainly knew that I had reached a high level, which was satisfying, but it is just nice to be considered in the same company of other great players. The game has changed a lot so it is hard to compare guys from different eras.
In the finals of the 1976 state Catholic tournament against archrival Don Bosco, you scored 45 PTS for Catholic Memorial but missed a FT with 1 second left to lose by 1 PT: did you think the FT was going in, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? We had a great rivalry with Don Bosco back then, as they were also from Boston. We were down by about 20 PTS in that game but came all the way back: everything I was throwing up went in. I think the opposing coach called a timeout to freeze me but I still felt very relaxed and confident when I got to the line. I thought the ball was going in when I released it, but it went off the back rim so maybe I had a little more adrenaline than I thought. My coach came over to me in the locker room and told me that we would not have even been in the game had I not played so well. I remember looking at my teammates on the bench after I missed: they just looked amazed that it did not go in. I have not thought about it in awhile, but I think it was a great experience as we played well and fought all the way back. It could have been 1 of the greatest nights of my life, but it stands out because I did all that I could so it is still a great learning experience.
You averaged 23 PPG during your freshman year at Holy Cross: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I did not expect to play so well as a freshman, even though I felt ready to play right away. We were coming off of a 20-win season and had a senior PG who was very unselfish. I had played against some great competition in high school and I felt great physically. The seniors made the transition very easy for me: the whole team welcomed me.
What are your memories of the 1977 NCAA tourney (Rickey Green scored 35 PTS/16-20 FG in a win by Michigan)? I severely sprained my ankle in the last game of the year at home against BU so I did not get to play against Michigan, nor did my other teammate who was hurt. Despite that, the team played really well without us and had a lot of confidence. Rickey Green had a sensational game for Michigan. The color commentator for that game was actually John Wooden!
What are your memories of the 1980 NCAA tourney (you scored 24 PTS/10-19 FG in a 6-PT loss to Iona)? What I actually recall most was being in the ECAC playoffs and having to beat BU just to make the tourney. BU was coached by Rick Pitino and they used a lot of full-court pressure. I had a hot streak and finished with 30 PTS but we still only won by single digits. We always played well against Iona during the year and the game was in Providence. Iona had Jeff Ruland but we were ahead for most of the game. We had a chance to beat them but they won 29 games that year and had a great team. I actually played with Ruland as a sophomore on a team that went to Yugoslavia.
You were named All-American as a senior and graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history: did you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the country, and did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were? I certainly thought that I was in the class of players among the best in the country, but I always had this feeling that I had to keep working and get better. I was a 6’2” guard with decent speed who was fundamentally sound. I knew how to play the game but never had an inflated view of who I was. I had knee surgery in October of my senior year and just had to gut it out all season long. It was hard to practice after games: this was before arthroscopic surgery so it was quite a struggle.
In the summer of 1980 you were drafted in the 3rd round by the Celtics (4 spots ahead of Kurt Rambis): were you thrilled to realize your dream of getting drafted by your hometown team, and what was it like to try and make the roster of a team that ended up winning the 1981 NBA title? I grew up in Boston as a Celtics fan so it was a thrill to get drafted by them. I joined the Celtics after playing baseball all summer and they had their entire team returning. The tough part of that was making it through the entire preseason without knowing if they would have a roster spot open for me. Dave Cowens retired to create a spot but I was told 2 days before the season that someone else had taken his spot: it ranks as 1 of the biggest disappointments in my life.
You were also an All-American in baseball and were drafted by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1980 draft (11 spots ahead of Danny Tartabull): which sport did you enjoy more, and how far were you able to go with pro baseball? I played with the White Sox Double-A team right after graduation. I enjoyed both sports pretty equally, having played both while growing up. Basketball gave me more attention from others, but looking back on it I think a 3rd round baseball pick is considered more valuable than a 3rd round basketball pick. I played 2 years of Double-A ball but never had a chance to rehab my knee, which started to bother me. I finally saw some doctors and had a couple of arthroscopic procedures. After the White Sox traded me to the Twins, I elected to just move on with my life and have no regrets about that.
You were a 3-time Academic All-American, won an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and in 1996 you were inducted into the GTE Academic All-American Hall of Fame: how important are academics to you, and how did your intelligence help you on the court? The Academic All-American awards were the most important awards that I got. The combination of academics/athletics has gotten lost in translation over the years, both with the athletes as well as with the schools themselves. My induction into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame was a tremendous honor/thrill. I was inducted along with a guy who became a brain surgeon (Dr. Carlton Young from Villanova)! I worked hard in school and had always done well: I knew that I could not play ball forever. Holy Cross is a small school so we had to go to class with everyone and ate at the same dining halls as the rest of the student body. I was able to develop a good business career by applying the principles I learned while playing sports.
Your son Matt was drafted by Detroit Tigers back in 2010 after being named conference POY and breaking your own record for most hits in school history: how proud are you of all that he has accomplished, and does he credit at least some of his success to genetics? I am hugely proud of him. I call him a late-bloomer because he was never 1 of the biggest kids physically. He grew about 6 inches in high school, then came into his own and got better every year. He broke all of the major offensive baseball records…including several that I held. My dad and I were both at the game during his junior year when he broke my single-season hit record: it was pretty cool.
You later became a basketball analyst for the Big East and an announcer for the ECAC Baseball Tournament: how did you like the on-air gigs, and which sport did you feel more comfortable analyzing? I have been doing regional basketball commentary since 1981: I love being at the games and seeing the young guys play ball.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I want them to remember me as a hard worker who was team-oriented and got the absolute maximum out of his abilities.
