Ray Perkins is a former American football player and coach who had a successful career in both college and professional football. He played as a wide receiver at the University of Alabama from 1964 to 1966, where he was a part of the 1964 national championship team. After college, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the seventh round of the 1967 NFL Draft.
Perkins played for the Colts for three seasons before being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1970. He played for the Rams for one season before being traded again, this time to the San Diego Chargers. He played for the Chargers for two seasons before retiring from playing football in 1973.
After retiring from playing, Perkins began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Mississippi State University in 1974. He then moved on to the University of Alabama, where he served as an assistant coach from 1977 to 1982. During his time at Alabama, he helped the team win two national championships in 1978 and 1979.
In 1983, Perkins was hired as the head coach of the New York Giants. He led the team to a 9-7 record in his first season and was named the NFL Coach of the Year. In 1986, he led the Giants to a 14-2 record and a victory in Super Bowl XXI. However, he resigned from the Giants after the 1990 season.
Perkins then went on to coach at the University of Alabama from 1993 to 1996, where he led the team to a 12-1 record and a victory in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. He also coached at the University of Arkansas from 1997 to 1998 and at the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2000.
Overall, Ray Perkins had a successful career in football as both a player and a coach. He was a part of two national championship teams as a player and helped lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory as a coach. He also had success as a college coach, leading the University of Alabama to a Sugar Bowl victory and coaching at several other universities and in the NFL.
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