Robert O. “Bob” and Carolyn Perry
It is an honor to welcome Bob and Carolyn Perry to the Lock Haven University Gridiron Greats. Bob Perry (Robert O.) joined the Lock Haven University English Department as Associate Professor in 1969. In 1976, his wife Carolyn began her career at LHU, first with the Upward Bound Program, then as Academic Advisor, and later as Director of the Writing Center and Assistant Professor of English.
Both Perrys grew up in the Southwest, where they developed a love for football. While a graduate student at SMU, Bob tutored fellow student and football player Forrest Gregg—a precursor to his later work with LHU athletes. In the mid-1970s, the Perrys started attending Bald Eagle games because several players were in Bob’s Composition classes—among them John White, John LaPorta, and others—and he had become their informal academic advisor.
After Carolyn joined the LHU faculty, they began to help at registration, assisting players in building workable schedules. When Jack Fisher became Head Coach, he invited the Perrys to join the program as Academic Advisors. They began as team advisors in 1979 and spent the following decade, until 1991, working with the team.
Each year, the Perrys gave annual academic awards to players with the highest GPAs and a Special Award to a player who showed outstanding academic effort. Early on, Bob and Carolyn saw a need to combat the “dumb jock” image of student-athletes held by some of their colleagues and university administrators. They documented the academic performance of LHU football players and shared their findings with administrators and faculty, opening many eyes to the academic achievements of the athletes.
After some health problems in the early 1990s, the Perrys retired as official advisors but continued to teach and informally advise players. They often attended Bald Eagle games and cherished their interactions with the players. Bob retired in 2003 and Carolyn in 2004. They moved to New Orleans, where they were caught up in Hurricane Katrina. Bob passed away in 2005, and Carolyn established the Robert Perry Memorial Scholarship in his honor.
Carolyn continues to support the Bald Eagles from the South and visits Jack Stadium whenever she can. Their love for the players and teams of LHU will live on for generations through the young men they have helped along the way.
