By Jason Prach
We at Prachsportsedge regret to inform you of the passing of Michigan State Coach George Perles, he was 85. Perles was the Michigan State Football Coach from 1983-1994. Coaching players of the likes of ex NFL players, Lorenzo White, Andre Rison, Tony Mandarich, and also QB Dan Enos who went on to coach Central Michigan University.
From 1972-1982, Perles was Chuck Knolls’ defensive coordinator for the Steelers who won 4 Super Bowls in the 1970’s. Perles was one of the first men who brought in the 4-3 defense and coached hall of famers Jack Ham, Mean Joe Greene, L.C Greenwood, Jack Lambert and many others to 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 seasons.
At Michigan State he lead the Spartans to a 1987 Big Ten title lead by running back Lorenzo White. The Spartans were 9-2-1 and 7-0-1 with then Defensive Coordinator and current Alabama Coach Nick Saban. Perles also went on to knock off the USC Trojans 27-18 on New Years day 1988. From 1987-1990, Perles had a dominant 25-5-2 record, with 2 conference championships for the Spartans. In 1990 his Spartans upset then #1 Michigan 28-27 in still one of the biggest upsets in College football history, on the famous Desmond Howard drop on a 2 point conversion try. Perles finshed his career with a 68-67-4 for MSU. He also served on as a trustee for the university after his coaching tenure till 2018. Perles will be missed all around the college football nation and Spartan nation.
