The gymnasium at Catholic Memorial carries his name, but the legacy of Ronald S. Perry extends far beyond the building.
An iconic figure on the local high school and college athletics scene for the better part of a half century, Perry passed away last Friday at the age of 92.
“It’s difficult to put in words the impact he had on my life and many other young men who played for him,” said former Catholic Memorial basketball star Ron Teixeira. “He’s more than just a coach, he was a mentor to me my entire life and I would not be where I am today without him.”
Perry attended Somerville High School, where he earned renown as an outstanding two-sport athlete. The first 1,000-point scorer in school history (his 1,154 career points is still a record for boys), Perry led the Highlanders to the Class A and New England titles in 1949. Perry was just as dominant on the baseball diamond, leading his team to an Eastern Mass. championship in 1950.
“You just didn’t get athletes like that, someone who was an all-scholastic in both basketball and baseball,” said Jerry Knight, who later served as hoop coach and athletic director at Somerville. “I remember the first time I saw him play was when I was eight. He was a great player but he was also a consummate student, a member of the National Honor Society and class president.”
Added current Somerville basketball coach Mark Antonelli: “He was always very gracious to me on the phone, asking about my family and about the team. He even brought up knowing my grandfather and great uncles. As a kid that grew up on the folklore of Somerville basketball, I remember being in awe that I spent 30 minutes of the phone with ‘the Ronnie Perry.’ ”
Perry went on to play both sports at Holy Cross and was part of the glory era of athletics there. He was part of a Crusader team which won a College World Series title in 1952. A three-year starter in basketball, Perry averaged more than 11 points and was a starter on the 1954 squad which won the NIT title.
“The best way to describe Ronnie was that he was a winner,” said Don Prohovich, who was a teammate of Perry on the NIT championship squad. “He was a legend, someone who just did everything well. When I was freshman, I had to guard him in practice and he was just terrific. He was a great shooter but sacrificed because we had Togo Palazzi, Tommy Heinsohn and Joe Liebler.”
Perry was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the fourth round of the 1954 NBA Draft (32nd overall pick), but opted to sign with the Milwaukee Braves. A three-year stint in the Marines cut his pro sports career short and he went to work at Catholic Memorial as a teacher as well as athletic director and baseball and basketball coach. In 13 years as the basketball coach, Perry amassed a record of 292-34, won 10 Catholic Conference titles, eight New England Catholic championships and three state crowns.
“First time I saw Catholic Memorial play was in Newport and they went up against Power Memorial and Lew Alcindor,” BABC founder/coach Leo Papile said. “He was the first guy to put Boston basketball on the map, he gave us some legitimacy. He had a standard of excellence and he was always a gentleman’s gentleman.”
Perry had many outstanding players who competed in college, one of them being Bill Raynor. An All-American at Catholic Memorial, Raynor went on to star at Dartmouth and later was named to the school’s Hall of Fame.
“I describe him as a coach, mentor and a friend – someone who played a significant role in my life,” Raynor said. “I first met him when I was 15 and we maintained a relationship that continued from that point until the day he passed.”
Perry returned to Holy Cross in 1972 and served as the athletic director from 1972-98. His presence was immediately felt as the school increased its programs from 10 to 25 and many of the sports flourished under his watchful eye.
Perry wasn’t coaching but he still had an impact on many lives, one of them being Peter Colombo. A standout quarterback at Brockton High, Colombo arrived at Holy Cross and became a decorated two-sport athlete (football and baseball), eventually landing in the school’s Hall of Fame in 1996.
“I just love the man,” said Colombo, who played second baseman alongside Mr. Perry’s son, Ronnie. “He was a good family man, a great coach and administrator and like my father (Armond, the legendary football coach at Brockton), he helped thousands of guys like me.”
In his later years, Perry was renowned for his devotion to his wife of 59 years, Pat. She suffered a stroke and required constant care for the last few years of her life before her passing in 2015. Perry returned to the West Roxbury area and was a constant fixture on the campus. Catholic Memorial president Dr. Peter F. Folan arrived 11 years ago and still fondly remembers the first time he met Perry.
“He came into my office and we had a conversation about the value of athletics and how athletics shape and build character in the student,” Folan said. “We talked about the power of the coach as a role model and how important it was that they cared about the individuals on the team.
“When his wife passed, he would come to the school every day. He’d come in, sit on the bench in front of the school, talk to the students and teachers, then say a prayer in the school chapel on his way out the door.
“He was a consummate man of faith and high character. He was part of the greatest generation and a role model that we should all aspire to be.”
