Lowell W. Perry
Encyclopedia
Lowell Wesley Perry was an American football
player and coach, government official, businessman, and broadcaster. He was the first African American
assistant coach in the National Football League
(NFL), the first African American to broadcast an NFL game to a national audience, and Chrysler
's first African American plant manager. He was appointed as the Commissioner of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC) by President Gerald Ford
, holding that position from 1975 to 1976. He later served as the director of the Michigan Department of Labor
from 1990 to 1996. He also served on the board of the NFL Board of Charities.
. His father, Lawrence C. Perry, was a dentist who graduated from the University of Michigan
in 1920. Perry was the youngest of four children. He grew up in Ypsilanti, where his father maintained a dental practice and was a respected civic leader.
team from 1950 to 1952. Perry was a two-way player who was a safety on defense and also handled punt returns for the Wolverines. After the 1951 season, he was selected as a second-team All-American by the Central Press Association
and a third-team All-American by the United Press. He was also rated as the best defensive back in college football during the 1951 season. He was also selected by the Associated Press as a first-team All-Big Ten Player and by the United Press as a first-team player on its All-Midwest team.
In three seasons for Michigan, Perry had 71 receptions for 1,261 yards and nine touchdowns. Perry's three-year career total of 1,261 receiving yards was not exceeded by another Michigan player for a decade until Jack Clancy
totaled 1,917 yards in four years from 1963 to 1966.
Perry's highest single-game total came against Indiana in 1951, with five catches for 165 yards. He had two additional touchdown catches against Indiana in 1952. His 165-yard game against Indiana was the Michigan single-game receiving record for 15 years, until Clancy had 197 yards against Oregon State in 1966.
Perry also returned 42 punts at Michigan for 351 yards, an average of 10.9 yards per return.
in the eighth round (90th overall pick) of the 1953 NFL Draft
. His professional football career was deferred due to Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(ROTC) obligations. Perry joined the United States Air Force
, where he achieved the rank of second lieutenant
. While serving in the Air Force, Perry played on the Bolling Air Force Team that included Al Dorow
, Tommy O'Connell
, and Johnny Lattner
. Perry was named the the outstanding football player in the military.
In 1956, Perry joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as an end. On his first play for the Steelers, Perry ran 93 yards for a touchdown in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions
. In his first six NFL games, Perry totaled 14 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns
. Perry also returned 11 punts for 127 yards and nine kickoffs for 219 yards.
In his sixth regular season game, Perry sustained a fractured pelvis and dislocated hip that forced his retirement. Football writer Mark A. Latterman later wrote about witnessing Perry's career-ending injury:
Perry was hospitalized at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital for 13 weeks after the injury. In June 1957, the Steelers hired Perry as the team's ends coach, making him the NFL's first African American coach since Fritz Pollard
in the 1920s. He worked as a scout for the Steelers in 1958. While working for the Steelers, Perry went to the Duquesne University
law school.
in 1960. That same year, he became a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Frank A. Picard (the Michigan Wolverines' quarterback from 1909 to 1910). In 1961, he accepted a job with the Chevrolet
Division of General Motors in the personnel department of the gear and axle division. In 1962, he left Chevrolet to prosecute unfair labor practice charges for the National Labor Relations Board
, a position he held until 1963.
In 1963, Perry began a 17-year career with Chrysler
. He started as a personnel specialist.
In April 1966, Perry was hired as a color analyst for CBS Television
to broadcast Steelers games alongside Joe Tucker. He was the first African-American to broadcast an NFL game to a national audience.
After his stint as a television broadcaster, Perry returned to Chrysler where he became a personnel manager in 1970. In 1973, he was appointed the plant manager of Chrysler's Eldon Avenue Axle Plant in Detroit. He was the first African American to hold the plant manager position at a U.S. automobile company.
In 1975, Perry was appointed by President Gerald Ford
to be commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
. At the ceremony in which Perry was sworn in, President Ford spoke and made the following comments:
Perry returned to government service in 1990 as director of the Michigan Department of Labor
, a position he held for six years. In March 1996, Governor John Engler
appointed him as the director of the Office of Urban Programs, a position that he held until his retirement in April 1999.
Perry died of cancer at a hospital in Southfield, Michigan
, in January 2001.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach, government official, businessman, and broadcaster. He was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
assistant coach in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL), the first African American to broadcast an NFL game to a national audience, and Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
's first African American plant manager. He was appointed as the Commissioner of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
(EEOC) by President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, holding that position from 1975 to 1976. He later served as the director of the Michigan Department of Labor
Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, formerly the Department of Labor & Economic Growth, oversees energy, employment, professional licensing, construction, and commerce.-History:...
from 1990 to 1996. He also served on the board of the NFL Board of Charities.
Early years
Perry was born in Ypsilanti, MichiganYpsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. His father, Lawrence C. Perry, was a dentist who graduated from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1920. Perry was the youngest of four children. He grew up in Ypsilanti, where his father maintained a dental practice and was a respected civic leader.
University of Michigan
Perry attended the University of Michigan where he studied history. He played at the end position for the Michigan Wolverines footballMichigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team from 1950 to 1952. Perry was a two-way player who was a safety on defense and also handled punt returns for the Wolverines. After the 1951 season, he was selected as a second-team All-American by the Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
and a third-team All-American by the United Press. He was also rated as the best defensive back in college football during the 1951 season. He was also selected by the Associated Press as a first-team All-Big Ten Player and by the United Press as a first-team player on its All-Midwest team.
In three seasons for Michigan, Perry had 71 receptions for 1,261 yards and nine touchdowns. Perry's three-year career total of 1,261 receiving yards was not exceeded by another Michigan player for a decade until Jack Clancy
Jack Clancy
Jack David Clancy is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Miami Dolphins in 1967 and 1969 and for the Green Bay Packers in 1970. He also played in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1963 to 1966....
totaled 1,917 yards in four years from 1963 to 1966.
Perry's highest single-game total came against Indiana in 1951, with five catches for 165 yards. He had two additional touchdown catches against Indiana in 1952. His 165-yard game against Indiana was the Michigan single-game receiving record for 15 years, until Clancy had 197 yards against Oregon State in 1966.
Perry also returned 42 punts at Michigan for 351 yards, an average of 10.9 yards per return.
Pittsburgh Steelers and military service
Perry was drafted by the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the eighth round (90th overall pick) of the 1953 NFL Draft
1953 NFL Draft
The 1953 National Football League Draft was held on January 22, 1953.-Player selections:-Round one:* HOF Member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
. His professional football career was deferred due to Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
(ROTC) obligations. Perry joined the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, where he achieved the rank of second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
. While serving in the Air Force, Perry played on the Bolling Air Force Team that included Al Dorow
Al Dorow
Albert Richard "Al" Dorow was an American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played collegiately for Michigan State and professionally in the National Football League and the American Football League....
, Tommy O'Connell
Tommy O'Connell
Tommy O'Connell is a retired American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who played in five NFL and two American Football League seasons from 1953–1957 and 1960-1961 for 3 different teams...
, and Johnny Lattner
Johnny Lattner
John Joseph "Johnny" Lattner is a former American football player in the United States. He was a halfback for the University of Notre Dame where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1953, and won the Maxwell Award twice, in 1952 and 1953....
. Perry was named the the outstanding football player in the military.
In 1956, Perry joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as an end. On his first play for the Steelers, Perry ran 93 yards for a touchdown in a pre-season game against the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
. In his first six NFL games, Perry totaled 14 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Perry also returned 11 punts for 127 yards and nine kickoffs for 219 yards.
In his sixth regular season game, Perry sustained a fractured pelvis and dislocated hip that forced his retirement. Football writer Mark A. Latterman later wrote about witnessing Perry's career-ending injury:
"A skinny 15 year-old boy and his dad were cheering the Pittsburgh Steelers new rookie star, Lowell Perry as he roared whippet-like around the New York Giants' fabled 1956 defensive line and headed full-throttle for the open field. The boy's cheers turned to tears when Giants' star, Roosevelt Grier crunched Perry from behind and linebacker Bill SvobodaBill SvobodaWilliam Ray Svoboda was an American football linebacker who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Chicago Cardinals and New York Giants. He played college football at Tulane University and was drafted in the third round of the 1950 NFL Draft. Svoboda died after suffering a...
hit him from the side simultaneously, filling the stadium with a sickening 'crack' which silenced the Steelers' faithful. I will never forget my sadness as the stretcher carried my new hero from the field. Perry's pelvis was fractured, his hip dislocated and he never played pro football again."
Perry was hospitalized at Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital for 13 weeks after the injury. In June 1957, the Steelers hired Perry as the team's ends coach, making him the NFL's first African American coach since Fritz Pollard
Fritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
in the 1920s. He worked as a scout for the Steelers in 1958. While working for the Steelers, Perry went to the Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
law school.
Government, broadcast, and business career
Perry received a law degree from Detroit College of LawMichigan State University College of Law
The Michigan State University College of Law is a private law school located in East Lansing, Michigan which is affiliated with Michigan State University...
in 1960. That same year, he became a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Frank A. Picard (the Michigan Wolverines' quarterback from 1909 to 1910). In 1961, he accepted a job with the Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
Division of General Motors in the personnel department of the gear and axle division. In 1962, he left Chevrolet to prosecute unfair labor practice charges for the National Labor Relations Board
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
, a position he held until 1963.
In 1963, Perry began a 17-year career with Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
. He started as a personnel specialist.
In April 1966, Perry was hired as a color analyst for CBS Television
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
to broadcast Steelers games alongside Joe Tucker. He was the first African-American to broadcast an NFL game to a national audience.
After his stint as a television broadcaster, Perry returned to Chrysler where he became a personnel manager in 1970. In 1973, he was appointed the plant manager of Chrysler's Eldon Avenue Axle Plant in Detroit. He was the first African American to hold the plant manager position at a U.S. automobile company.
In 1975, Perry was appointed by President Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
to be commissioner of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
. At the ceremony in which Perry was sworn in, President Ford spoke and made the following comments:
"He first came to my attention when I saw his prowess on the gridiron at the University of Michigan. He made it and I didn't. He was really good and played not only exceptionally well at Ann Arbor but very well for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I have known Lowell over a period of time since then. I have always looked at his career, both in Government and with private employment, as an example of what a person can do who has got ability and the desire and the dedication. I think it's, in this instance, Government's gain to have Lowell with us, and Lynn Townsend probably is losing one of his very finest young people in his Chrysler organization."He served as EEOC commissioner until 1976. Perry resigned from the EEOC after one year and returned to Chrysler.
Perry returned to government service in 1990 as director of the Michigan Department of Labor
Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth
The Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, formerly the Department of Labor & Economic Growth, oversees energy, employment, professional licensing, construction, and commerce.-History:...
, a position he held for six years. In March 1996, Governor John Engler
John Engler
John Mathias Engler is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003....
appointed him as the director of the Office of Urban Programs, a position that he held until his retirement in April 1999.
Family and death
Perry was married to Maxine Lewis in January 1954. They had two sons, Lowell Perry, Jr. (born c. 1957) and Scott Perry (born c. 1964), and one daughter, Meredith Perry (born c. 1970).Perry died of cancer at a hospital in Southfield, Michigan
Southfield, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which 0.04% is water. The main branch of the River Rouge runs through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south by Eight Mile Road, its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road...
, in January 2001.
See also
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders
- University of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorUniversity of Michigan Athletic Hall of HonorThe University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...