42 Dan Perry

Dan Perry was born Daniel Kaye Perry on September 22, 1951, in Lima, Ohio to Louise and Herman Perry.  As a senior at Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio, Perry averaged 28 points and 15 rebounds a game and had single-game scoring highs of 47, 50, and 52 points.  The 52-point performance was a Shawnee school record and was made on 19 field goals and 14 free throws.

Perry originally signed a conference letter of intent to play for Kent State but just a few weeks later changed his mind and signed with Kentucky on April 20, 1969.  After visiting the Kentucky campus, Perry announced, “I know I caused people problems but I just changed my mind.  I met so many people who were interested in Kentucky basketball and they showed a personal interest in me.  I feel I can make more contacts at Kentucky which can lead to more opportunities after I graduate.”  Back then a player could sign a letter of intent with another school as long as they were in a different conference than the school originally signed with and as long as the letter of intent was not a national letter of intent.  Perry was signed by assistant coach Joe Hall, who termed Perry “a fine outside shooter whose height and experience at forward make him a valuable asset to our team.”  Perry was one of three players signed from Lima that year.  The other two were Jim Andrews and Steve Penhorwood.

As a freshman (freshmen were ineligible to play varsity then), Perry played in 22 games, starting 18.  He scored 213 points and grabbed 133 rebounds.  He scored a season-high 25 points against Tennessee.  He averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game for the freshman squad while hitting 48% of his field goals.  He was a good shooter with a high arching jumper.

Two bad knees prevented Perry from playing his sophomore year.  He had cartilage surgery before the season started.

As a junior in October of 1971, Dan Perry was diagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac enclosing the heart.  It wasn’t considered serious but did keep him out of action for a couple of weeks.  He would go on to play 53 minutes in 10 games on the season,  scoring eight points.  He saw his first varsity action against Kansas State on the road on December 6, 1971, and scored four crucial points.  He started the next game against Indiana.

Perry was forced to sit out his senior year after his knee problems flared back up.  He was awarded the K-Men’s Scholastic Award for being an outstanding 4-year scholar at the end of his senior year.  He was also presented with a 101 Senior Appreciation Award.  Upon graduation, he attended the University of Kentucky School of Dentistry and became a dentist.

He established a dental office in Troy, Ohio but was planning to move back to Lima when he died in April of 1982 from self-inflicted asphyxia due to carbon monoxide poisoning.  He is buried in the Shawnee Memorial Cemetery in Lima.