With great sorrow, I just learned that Coach Perry Moss, the first head coach and general manager of the Orlando Predators has passed away at age 88. Perrys football obit... PERRY MOSS (1926-2014) Orlando has lost a coaching legend. Perry Moss, who spent the better part of seven different decades in college and professional football, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 7 at his DeBary home. Best remembered locally as the first Head Coach and General Manager of the Orlando Predators , he was also one of the founding fathers of the Arena Football League, Moss was 88. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on August 4, 1926, Moss began his college career at the University of Tulsa – where he was the starting tailback on the Golden Hurricane’s 1945 Orange Bowl winning team. He would serve a two-year stint in the United States Air Force, before enrolling at the University of Illinois, where he was the team’s starting quarterback. When he engineered a 45-14 win over UCLA in 1947 Rose Bowl, Moss became the first player in NCAA history to lead two different colleges to New Year’s Day bowl wins. He was selected to various All-America teams in all three seasons of eligibility. Following graduation, Moss was selected in the 13th round of the NFL Draft and played one season with the Green Bay Packers in 1948. He would then spend the next 60 years coaching the game at the college and professional levels. His college stops included head coaching stints at both Florida State University (1959) and Marshall (1968). Moss also served as an assistant coach at Illinois, Washington, LSU, Miami (FL), Wisconsin and the University of Central Florida. At Miami, he also served as head baseball coach for one season. His NFL coaching experience included assistant coaching stints with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills. Moss was a head coach in the Canadian Football League (Montreal Alouettes), World Football League (San Antonio Wings), and Continental Football League (Orlando Panthers). During his professional football career, Moss coached in the National Football League, American Football League, United States Football League, World Football League, Arena Football League, Arena2, European Professional Football League, Continental Football League(Orlando Panthers) and the America Football Association. Commenting on the number of different coaching jobs he had, Coach Moss once told Associated Press sports writer Alan Robinson that “I’ve not missed any leagues, at least none of the ones I have heard of. I’ve always been able to find a job and I’ve always been able to do what I’ve wanted to do since high school and that’s being a football coach.” Moss became involved with Arena Football League founder James Foster in 1986, when he became a consultant for the league and helped write its rules. Moss was the head coach of the Chicago Bruisers (1988) and Detroit Drive (1990) leading both teams to the ArenaBowl title game and winning a title with the Drive. In 1991, Moss became the first Head Coach and General Manager of the Orlando Predators. In seven seasons, he guided the Predators to a 59-25-0 regular season record and led the team to three championship game appearances. He was named Arena Football League Coach of the Year in 1990, 1992 and 1994. Overall, Moss was 75-28-1 in nine seasons in the AFL. That total still ranks 8th on all-time coaching wins list and his .726 winning percentage is the second best percentage in league history and first among coaches with three or more seasons. His 11 post-season wins rank fifth best in league history. His overall record, including playoff games, stands at 86-35-1. Upon his retirement, Moss spent a year a special consultant to the Predators and later served as an assistant coach in arneafootball2 for both Florida and Jacksonville. Moss is a member of several sports Hall of Fames, including the University of Tulsa Hall of Fame, American Football Coaches Hall of Fame, Florida Sports Hall of Fame and the Arena Football League Hall of Fame. During the 2014 season, the Arena Football League announced that its Coach of the Year Award would be named after Moss and Tim Marcum, who also passed away this year. He was a 1996 Arena Football League’s Founder’s Award. Moss’ coaching success was tied to his offensive mind and his unique ability to adapt to changing times. “I’ve coached with, under and against all the big names – Bear Bryant, Don Shula, George Allen. I think I learned some football during that time,” Moss told Robinson. “One thing I always done is stay up with the game. I’ve never tried to get by on what I was coaching 10 years ago.” Considered a player’s coach, Moss always deflected any praise to his players. “One thing I have learned over the years is no matter how good of a coach you think you are, no matter how much you teach, you have to have players to win.” Moss was preceded in death by his brother, Les – a former Major League catcher and manager. His son Les followed him into coaching, serving as his assistant in Chicago, Detroit and Orlando. Les is now the head coach of the AFL’s Jacksonville Sharks.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 01:33:09 +0000
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