COLUMN: Simplicity, perseverance lead to championship for Perry, St. James

Coach Jimmy Perry and the St. James Trojans earned the school’s first state championship in football on Thursday, defeating Piedmont, 45-28, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (Photos by Jason Caldwell)

By GRAHAM DUNN

AUBURN - It was 50 years in the making.

Or was it 43?

The number doesn’t really matter but Jimmy Perry finally got the opportunity to stand on (what would have been) the winner’s podium and hoist a trophy that had eluded him for his entire head coaching career.

“I waited 43 years for this,” he said during the Class 3A championship post-game press conference. “I don’t think I’ll be around 43 more.”

On Thursday, a bright, sunny day at his former work digs known as Jordan-Hare Stadium, Perry got the chance to celebrate a state championship as did the St. James Trojans, a first for both. Yes, Perry was part of state championship teams while an assistant with Spence McCracken at Robert E. Lee back in the 1980s, but this was different.

The East Montgomery native had been through it all, as a coach, recruiting coordinator at Auburn and then a coach again with St. Paul’s and now St. James. The championship had been unreachable for different reasons - youth, lack of talent, sometimes coaching. He encountered personal difficulties.

But he never wavered.

“I've been blessed and it's been a great journey with this program,” he said, looking back on his 11 years with the school. “This moment was the sweetest of them all.”

Part of a close-knit family, Perry’s brothers were on the sideline along with many friends and supporters of the program. He gave a big hug and kiss to his wife as the final seconds ticked off the clock after the impressive 45-28 victory over defending champ Piedmont, a win shared by all.

This was what he had waited for and why he kept coming back when it would have been easy to call it a career.

In 50 years of fielding a varsity football team, St. James has watched as its biggest rivals have won region/area titles, state championships and earned praise from their peers.

“You get cohesiveness when you care,” Perry said. “You know how to support each other and today was a total team coverage and a total team championship.”

We’ve all heard the pronouncement made  by former Tennessee coach Butch Jones during his time leading the Vols to mediocrity. The old “Champions of Life” quip is now a household joke when brought up about Tennessee football.

In the case of Perry, it’s not a one liner.

Considering what he has endured in the last several years - severe health issues which included a kidney transplant - Perry has proven to be a fighter. The oldest of five brothers, he grew up in a simple middle-class home in Bellhurst, raised to lead while honoring his parents.

The Perrys grew up right behind Goodwyn Junior High School where everyone participated in all sports made available to the boys. His dad, Jim, Sr. was a big part of his athletic upbringing. Mr. Perry spent many nights on the baseball fields behind the school as a volunteer while his mother rarely missed a game. If you wanted to find one of them, that’s probably where they were, whether or not they had a son playing that night.

The Perry boys played, coached and umpired in their teenage years at East Montgomery. It was a way of life but also plenty of teaching moments.

My first experience as a youth baseball umpire included Jimmy Perry. He saved me a couple of times from bad calls. I remember a real stinker had parents ready to flog me.  He calmly walked over and said, “would you like some help on that call?” The obvious answer was yes but I didn’t recognize the satire until later.

The family supported Lee athletics for many years, so much that when the school’s districting lines were re-drawn, the Perrys suddenly found themselves in the Jeff Davis section. They moved down the street to stay with the Generals.

All of this might sound simple to most and many had the same experiences but these events led to Thursday’s success. Perry created an attitude of winning from slow growth, not quick fixes. He has trained several young coaches to bring them to the point of being on a state championship staff.

Perry spoke of the group of upperclassmen who had started the trek three years ago as freshmen and sophomores, taking their lumps in a seven-win season in 2020. They added wins to the total last year setting up 2022 as one for the books.

Perry scheduled larger schools, knowing that if his team was going reach the Promised Land, it would need to be battle tested. They played Charles Henderson (the 5A state runner up), Handley and Carroll, leading up to the playoffs.

It paid off.

The Trojans were ready for the physicality handed out by the Bulldogs and their record-setting quarterback, Jack Hayes. They didn’t wilt when they fell behind by 10 points on a couple of occasions in the first half.

When the Trojans created a turnover on the second-half kickoff, they smelled blood in the water and would never look back, scoring 21 unanswered points to take the lead for good.

It might not have been the way Perry drew up the plans, but when given lemons….

While many championship coaches follow a victory and stay out on the town to celebrate, chances are Perry will head toward Lake Martin, stop at his favorite service market, pick up a bite to eat and head to the house.

That might sound simple to many but to a middle-class guy from Bellhurst, it’s a perfect ending to a perfect day.