Former USC Athletic Director Dr. Richard Perry Dies
October 20, 2014 | USC Athletics
Under Perry, the Trojans won eight men's and 12 women's national titles. The men's crowns came in the sports of football, baseball, swimming, tennis and volleyball, while the women's were in basketball, tennis and volleyball. USC student-athletes also won 12 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships in his time.
After USC, he served as the athletic director at UC Riverside from 1987 to 1992. After retiring from UC Riverside, he remained active in civic and community endeavors in the Riverside area. He served as president of the executive board of the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame.
Prior to becoming USC's athletic director, Perry was an associate professor of physical education at USC for eight years (1967-75). For six of those years, he was a member of USC's faculty senate, including serving as its president in 1974-75. He also was the president of the California Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1971-72 and president of the Southwest District of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1975-76.
Perry was the head basketball coach at Long Beach State from 1960-67, and also served as an assistant football coach there for three seasons and an instructor in physical education. His 1960 basketball team reached the finals of the NCAA College Division Western Regional.
Before that, he coached basketball, baseball and football at College of Emporia (Kan.).
"Dick Perry created the `Trojan Family' concept at USC, bringing a sense of unity and family not only within our athletic department but with the alumni and fans," said Stan Morrison, who was hired by Perry as the USC men's basketball coach and then later served as UC Riverside's athletic director like Perry. "He was a great source of poise and reason for me when I was USC's basketball coach, and he provided me with great wisdom and counsel. I loved him dearly and will really miss him."
Said Barbara Hedges, who worked under Perry as a Trojan associate athletic director after being originally hired in USC's physical education department by Perry: "Dick Perry did an outstanding job as our athletic director and left an impressive legacy of men's and women's national championships. It was a privilege for me to work for him. At that time, we were starting to build our women's athletics program at USC and he was incredibly supportive of our efforts, and that helped result in many national championships."
Perry is survived by his wife, Donna, four children (Jim, Joan, John, Janelle) and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Riverside (4495 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, CA 92501).
In lieu of flowers, Perry's family requests donations be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (6931 Arlington Rd. #200, Bethesda, MD 20814) or to the YMCA of Long Beach in care of "endowment gift in memory of Richard H. Perry" (3605 Long Beach Blvd. #210, Long Beach, CA 90807).
Perry, a Long Beach Wilson High graduate, received his bachelor's degree from the College of Emporia in 1951, his master's degree from Kansas State Teachers College and his doctorate degree from USC in 1968.
Perry was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Long Beach Wilson High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
