Tab Perry
Encyclopedia
Tab Wilson Perry is an American football
wide receiver
for the Las Vegas Locomotives
of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at UCLA
.
Perry has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
.
, but fell to the Bengals in the sixth round. Most teams saw him primarily as a kick returner
, because that was his specialty at UCLA (where he set numerous records). He wore the number 12 during preseason for the Bengals and during a short minicamp due to the late graduation date of UCLA.
Perry was used primarily as a kick returner for his first year with the Bengals. He earned special teams player of the week in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
due in part to a long kick return that set up the game clinching touchdown
. Wears the number 88 for the Bengals and is listed from as high as the third down to the fifth receiver for Cincinnati.
Perry finished the 2005 season with a franchise record 1,562 kickoff return yards, and 2 touchdowns on offense, assisting the team to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance in over a decade. Perry was also the starting returner for the Bengals in 2006, but he suffered a season ending injury in the second game of the year.
. On May 24, he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon. He was waived/injured by the Dolphins four days later and subsequently placed on injured reserve
.
of the United Football League on August 31, 2009.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Las Vegas Locomotives
Las Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
.
Perry has also been a member of the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Perry played wide receiver and safety at Milpitas High School wearing the jersey number 3.College career
During his first three seasons at UCLA, played wide receiver and wore the jersey number 1 (because number 3 was already taken). He worked hard over the summer, attending classes at three small schools in between his junior and senior year, to remain eligible to play football at UCLA. Once it was vacated, he wore the number 3 for his senior year.Cincinnati Bengals
Perry was expected to go somewhere around the third to fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
, but fell to the Bengals in the sixth round. Most teams saw him primarily as a kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
, because that was his specialty at UCLA (where he set numerous records). He wore the number 12 during preseason for the Bengals and during a short minicamp due to the late graduation date of UCLA.
Perry was used primarily as a kick returner for his first year with the Bengals. He earned special teams player of the week in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh 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...
due in part to a long kick return that set up the game clinching touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
. Wears the number 88 for the Bengals and is listed from as high as the third down to the fifth receiver for Cincinnati.
Perry finished the 2005 season with a franchise record 1,562 kickoff return yards, and 2 touchdowns on offense, assisting the team to an 11-5 record and their first playoff appearance in over a decade. Perry was also the starting returner for the Bengals in 2006, but he suffered a season ending injury in the second game of the year.
Miami Dolphins
On March 15, 2008, Perry signed a one-year deal worth just under $1 million with the Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On May 24, he suffered a torn Achilles' tendon. He was waived/injured by the Dolphins four days later and subsequently placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
Las Vegas Locomotives
Perry was signed by the Las Vegas LocomotivesLas Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
of the United Football League on August 31, 2009.