Don Perkins (1938-2022) American Football Player
Don Perkins (1938-2022) American Football Player, Find a Grave Don Perkins find a grave, Don Perkins dies at 84, Don Perkins Grave, Don Perkinst Death and burial details
| FULL NAME | Donald Anthony Perkins |
|---|---|
| BIRTH | 4 March 1938, Waterloo, Iowa, United States |
| DEATH | 9 June 2022 (aged 84) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg) |
| Career NFL Statistics | Rushing yards: 6217 / Average: 4.1 / Touchdowns: 42 / Games Played: 107 |
| NFL Draft | 1960 / Round: 9 / Pick: 106 |
| AFL Draft | 1960 / Round: 1 Pick: First Selections |
| BURIAL | |
| NATIONALITY | American |
Don Perkins Wiki, Biography, Family, Life, Age and Death
Short Bio
He played the running back position for the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys from 1961 to 1968. He played football collegiately at the University of New Mexico, where he was Skyline Sophomore of the Year in 1957, three-time All-Skyline Conference member, and third-team All-American in 1959.
He was signed to a personal services contract with the newly formed Dallas Cowboys in early 1960 and when he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 1960 NFL Draft, the Cowboys had to compensate the Colts to keep him.
He sat out the 1960 season with an injury, but came back in 1961 to play for the Cowboys. He went on to play for the Cowboys for the next eight seasons before retiring after the 1968 season. While with the Cowboys, he was three-time All-Pro (1962, 1967, and 1968), played in six Pro Bowls (1961-63, 1966-1968), and was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1961.
During his playing career, he rushed for 6,127 yards and had 42 touchdowns in 107 games played. After his retirement in 1968, he went into broadcasting, both for CBS Sports and ABC Sports, and other local television and radio stations. He later retired to the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. In 1976, he inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.
Don Perkins American Football Player Biography
Donald Anthony Perkins was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of New Mexico.
Early years
Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, Perkins earned eight letters for Waterloo West High School, four each in football and track (sprinter). He also played basketball. Perkins captained the track team by the time he was a junior.
In 1955, his football team went undefeated and Perkins made the first All-state team as a halfback, while playing both offense and defense. He was president of the student body during his senior year.
College career
Perkins played college football at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he played halfback and defensive back as a two-way player. He was a three-time All-Skyline selection and the Skyline Sophomore of the Year. In 1958, he led the nation in kickoff returns. In 1959 he received third-team All-American honors.
The head coach at New Mexico was future Hall of Famer Marv Levy, who has stated in several occasions that Perkins was one of the greatest players he ever coached. He also mentioned him in his Hall of Fame induction speech in Canton, Ohio.
Don Perkins (1938-2022) American Football Player
Perkins set 12 records as a three-year halfback starter. The school retired his number (43) when he completed his career – a first in UNM history. He ranks 14th in the Lobos’ career rushing list with 2,001 yards.
He was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and the University of New Mexico Hall of Honor.
Professional career
The Dallas Cowboys franchise was admitted to the league too late to participate in the 1960 NFL draft in November 1959, so they signed Perkins to a personal-services contract for a $1,500 bonus and a $10,000 salary. This meant he would play for the Cowboys if and when they received an NFL franchise. Although he was selected in the ninth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts, the league honored the contract, but made the Cowboys compensate the Colts with a ninth round draft pick (#116-Roy Walker) in the 1962 NFL draft.
Perkins sat out the entire 1960 season with a broken foot (fifth metatarsal) he suffered in training camp, so he began playing with the Cowboys in 1961 as a rookie. He lacked long-distance speed, but made up for it with outstanding quickness and balance. He finished with 815 rushing yards (sixth among league leaders) and 4 touchdowns, earning NFL rookie of the year and Pro Bowl honors.
Not only was he considered a superb blocker, he also finished in the NFL’s top 10 rushing in each of his eight seasons in the league. On September 24, 1961, he became the first running back in Cowboys’ history to run for 100 yards in a game, when he rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries against the expansion Minnesota Vikings.
Perkins’s best year was in 1962, when he rushed for 945 yards and seven touchdowns, becoming the first Cowboy to make the All-Pro team. He was coming off his two best all-around seasons when he decided to retire prior to the 1969 season.
Don Perkins (1938-2022) American Football Player
Even though he played the fullback position at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 204 pounds (93 kg), his ten career 100-yard games ranks fourth in club history, he led the Dallas Cowboys in rushing in six of his eight seasons, also led them in touchdowns in four of his eight seasons. He ranks fourth on the Cowboys’ all-time rushing yards list (behind Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, and Ezekiel Elliott), and fifth on the rushing touchdowns list, behind Smith, Dorsett, Marion Barber III, and Elliott. He was selected to six Pro Bowls and to one All-Pro team, while gaining a reputation in the NFL for his courage and resolve on some of worst teams in Dallas Cowboys history. In 1968, he helped end the Cowboys practice of segregating players when traveling to hotels.
“Perkins was in the toughest times”, Tom Landry once told NFL Films: “The guy was a remarkable runner, a great pass blocker and one of the best players in our history.” Walt Garrison, who replaced him in the starting lineup, once said, “Don Perkins was the best fullback the Dallas Cowboys ever had”.
Perkins retired at the end of 1968 having led all active players in rushing yards since the retirement of Jim Taylor, and was fifth in NFL history with 6,217. He was inducted into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium alongside his quarterback Don Meredith in 1976. Only Bob Lilly was inducted ahead of them, in 1975.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
The Professional Football Researchers Association named Perkins to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2016
Don Perkins (1938-2022) Personal life and death
Perkins was a football analyst for CBS Sports, ABC Sports, and other television and radio networks.
He was the director of the Work Incentive Program for the State of New Mexico Department of Human Services from 1972 to 1985. He served on both the Executive board of US West and the Board of Trustees for University Hospital from 1990 to 1993. He was a member of the Northwest Mesa Branch of the NAACP.
A father of four children and grandfather of eleven, he was active in local theater, public speaking, and broadcasting at the local and national level. He retired in the city of Albuquerque.
Perkins died June 9, 2022 at the age of 84.
