Wolfe Perry

Lieutenant Wolfe Perry, Jr.[1] (born January 22, 1957) is an American actor and former basketball player. He played college basketball for Stanford University.[2]

Wolfe Perry
Born (1957-01-22) January 22, 1957
New Orleans, Louisiana
Other namesL. Wolfe Perry, Jr.
OccupationTelevision actor,
basketball player
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Career information
High school
CollegeStanford (1975–1979)
NBA draft1979 / Round: 5 / Pick: 89th overall
Selected by the Utah Jazz
PositionGuard
Number21
Career highlights and awards
  • Second-team All-Pac-10 (1979)

Life and career

Perry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended St. Elizabeth High in Oakland, California,[3] before transferring after two years to Oakland Technical High School, where he was a top student and basketball player.[4]

Basketball career

Perry was a standout basketball player at Stanford University and graduated in 1979 with a degree in drama.[4] Perry, who stands 6'2", was a four-year letterman and starting guard for the Cardinal. In his first year, he was one of only four freshman in the Pacific-8 Conference to earn a starting role.[5] He led the Cardinal in scoring average his senior season, 1978–79, with 18.3 points per game, and he was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection. He scored a career-high 34 points in an upset win that season against national powerhouse UCLA.[6] For his college career, Perry scored 1,287 points (18th all time at Stanford) with 258 assists (12th) and 112 steals (9th).

Perry was a favorite of the basketball fans at Stanford, many of whom expected him to be drafted into the NBA. He was drafted in the fifth round of 1979 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz. However, he quit during training camp to pursue an acting career.[7] Perry said that his "knees fell apart" and that his "heart wasn't in [basketball] anymore."[8][9]

Acting career

As an actor, Perry is primarily known for his role as Teddy Rutherford, one of Coach Ken Reeves' new players in the third season of the CBS TV series The White Shadow.[9] He wore the uniform number 21 in his role, which is the same number he wore at Stanford.

In 1980, Perry was a cast member of the short-lived PBS series Up and Coming,[10] which was the first weekly American TV drama centered on an African American family. Additionally, he appeared in the controversial 1986 film Soul Man, which starred C. Thomas Howell as a Caucasian student who uses medication to disguise himself as an African American and obtain a Harvard Law School scholarship intended for African American students.

He also made an appearance in the 1980s detective show Riptide. In 1982, he appeared in an episode of Hill Street Blues.[11]

Later life

Perry coached boys basketball for two seasons (2006–2008) at John Swett High School in Crockett, California, before becoming the coach at St. Elizabeth High, his former high school, in 2008.[3]

References
  1. English, Reid (January 25, 1979). "Cards could win this war with very own Lieutenant". the Oregon Statesman. p. D-1. Retrieved January 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Ratto, Ray (December 6, 1978). "Stanford's Perry has act together". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 57. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. McCulloch, Will. "Carlmont junior has humble approach to winning", San Francisco Chronicle, May 20, 2008.
  4. "'Shadow' hires a ringer". The Daily Oklahoman. February 15, 1981. sec. TV News, pp. 26–27. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Cardinals' Super Soph Is Back To Haunt 'Bows". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 19, 1977. p. D-1. Retrieved January 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Weiskopf, Herman (January 8, 1979). "Player of the Week". Sports Illustrated. p. 38. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  7. "Perry Quits Jazz Camp". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 19, 1979. p. 2-D. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Wilson, John M. (January 25, 1981). "A Brand New Game Plan For 'Shadow'". Los Angeles Times. sec. Calandar, p. 26. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Taylor, Robert (March 6, 1981). "Ex-athlete enjoys White Shadow role". Journal and Courier. Gannett News Service. p. B-3. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Palmer, Mike (October 12, 1980). "'Up and Coming' and other projects". The San Francisco Examiner. sec. Datebook p. 49. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Weintraub, Robert (May 14, 2014). "A Viewing Guide to the Greatest Fictional Basketball Scene Ever Filmed". Grantland. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
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