Bruce Perry
Encyclopedia
Bruce Perry is a former American football
running back
in the National Football League
who was released by the Philadelphia Eagles
(on January 2, 2007) to make room for veteran quarterback
Koy Detmer
's return to the team. He has since signed as a free agent
with the Montreal Alouettes
of the Canadian Football League
.
.
at the University of Maryland
and started all 11 games as a sophomore. That year, he rushed 219 times for 1,242 yards and ten touchdowns in addition to catching 40 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns, leading Maryland to an ACC
Championship and an appearance in the 2002 Orange Bowl
. He won ACC Offensive Player of the Year as the second non-senior to do so and was a second team All-American. Perry was also a first team All ACC selection and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award
. Perry ranked 19th in the NCAA in rushing yards per game and ninth in all purpose yards per game. Against Wake Forest, Perry rushed for 276 yards.
In his junior year, Perry was out with an injury until an October game against Duke. He immediately injured himself in the Duke game, and did not start again for the rest of the season. Perry appeared in five more games in 2002, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the season.
As a senior, Perry started four games and played in nine. He finished with 646 rushing yards despite being hampered by injuries all season. Against Wake Forest, Perry had 25 carries for 237 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his college career ranked fourth among Maryland's career rushing leaders.
by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
. He spent his entire rookie
season on injured reserve
. After the 2005 pre-season, he was placed on the practice squad. Later in the season he was activated and saw his first start
in the final game of the regular season.
Perry appeared in the 2006 pre-season and sustained a serious concussion in the game. Even though Perry made the team, he was converted to cornerback
and then was cut in September when the Eagles signed veteran Dexter Wynn
for depth at cornerback. The team re-signed Perry to the practice squad. He was released on January 2, 2007.
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...
running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
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...
who was released by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(on January 2, 2007) to make room for veteran quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Koy Detmer
Koy Detmer
Koy Dennis Detmer is a retired American football quarterback. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado. He is the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer, and son of coach Sonny...
's return to the team. He has since signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Early life
Perry is a Philadelphia native and attended George Washington High SchoolGeorge Washington High School (Philadelphia)
George Washington High SchoolPrincipalKathy Pizzimenti-MurphySchool typePublicReligious affiliationNoneOpened1964LocationPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaEnrollment2,071Campus surroundingsMascotEagleSchool colorsBlue and GoldFight song...
.
College career
Perry played college footballCollege 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 the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
and started all 11 games as a sophomore. That year, he rushed 219 times for 1,242 yards and ten touchdowns in addition to catching 40 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns, leading Maryland to an ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
Championship and an appearance in the 2002 Orange Bowl
2002 Orange Bowl
The 2002 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida Gators and the ACC champion Maryland Terrapins on January 2, 2002. Florida routed Maryland 56-23. The game was part of the 2001-2002 Bowl Championship Series of the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football...
. He won ACC Offensive Player of the Year as the second non-senior to do so and was a second team All-American. Perry was also a first team All ACC selection and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
. Perry ranked 19th in the NCAA in rushing yards per game and ninth in all purpose yards per game. Against Wake Forest, Perry rushed for 276 yards.
In his junior year, Perry was out with an injury until an October game against Duke. He immediately injured himself in the Duke game, and did not start again for the rest of the season. Perry appeared in five more games in 2002, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on the season.
As a senior, Perry started four games and played in nine. He finished with 646 rushing yards despite being hampered by injuries all season. Against Wake Forest, Perry had 25 carries for 237 yards and three touchdowns. He finished his college career ranked fourth among Maryland's career rushing leaders.
Philadelphia Eagles
Perry was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 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 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. He spent his entire rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season 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...
. After the 2005 pre-season, he was placed on the practice squad. Later in the season he was activated and saw his first start
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
in the final game of the regular season.
Perry appeared in the 2006 pre-season and sustained a serious concussion in the game. Even though Perry made the team, he was converted to cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
and then was cut in September when the Eagles signed veteran Dexter Wynn
Dexter Wynn
Dexter Maurice Wynn is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
for depth at cornerback. The team re-signed Perry to the practice squad. He was released on January 2, 2007.