Perkins trait – we didn ’ t mind getting hit if we had the football , but we didn ’ t want to hit anyone if we didn ’ t have the football .”
“ In grade school and then middle school , he ( Jeff ) was a good athlete ,” his older brother recalled . “ Jeff never did stick out that much and maybe his best sport was baseball . In high school , I was a junior and he was a freshman . I remembered he was very timid and he just didn ’ t want to get hit with the ball .”
Almost 60 years later , it is absolutely unimaginable that Jeff Perkins was ever timid or was ever intimidated by anyone or anything . As an adult , Jeff Perkins ’ broad shoulders and stern look was a formidable sight for anyone who stood in his way .
But as a young teenager Jeff Perkins ’ efforts to not get hit with the football turned out to be an asset . With lightning speed and amazing agility , Perkins was such an elusive running back that his teammates nicknamed him ‘ Slick ’. The ‘ Slick ’ named referred to him being slippery or almost impossible to tackle .
After his older brother John graduated from high school to move on with his life in the service and college , Jeff Perkins was making a name for himself on the football field with his elusive style of play .
“ When I left here to go to the service and to college , I kept hearing about this Perkins guy that was raising cane on the football field ,” his older brother laughed . “ I ’ m thinking to myself , it can ’ t be my brother , because he didn ’ t like that contact . But he had gotten a lot quicker and he suddenly became a star football player .”
According to his older brother , Jeff Perkins ’ foundation was built at a young age and it carried him to great success for the rest of his life .
“ As a senior in high school , on the football playing field , I think the light clicked on for him ( Jeff ),” his older brother stated . “ With the coaching staff support and the support he got in the community , I think it played a big part in his football and his future success . Back then the community had certain expectations for us , especially from our mother and dad . The community and our parents expected us to excel in academics , sports , or whatever we participated in .”
“ So there was that kind of pressure on you , and it was a good kind of pressure , to do well ,” John Perkins stated . “ If you had a game on Friday and you didn ’ t play well , you heard about it on Saturday . We had a lot of custodians from the community that kind of guided us to do well in life .”
But the thing that really stuck out to me - difference between myself and Jeff – you weren ’ t going to beat Jeff in anything and he had an outstanding competitive spirit ,” John Perkins stated .
Jeff Perkins ’ competitive spirit served him well on the gridiron , and it led him to even more greatness in his adult life . According to his older brother , Jeff Perkins looked at what others might have achieved in their careers and he felt he could achieve those same goals for himself .
In 1968 , Jeff Perkins led the Somerset High School football team to an 8-2 record and a Top 15 state ranking . Perkins scored 23 touchdowns that season and broke the Briar Jumpers ’ all-time singleseason scoring record with 138 points . At 5 ’ 10 ” and 175 pounds , Perkins scored his record-breaking amount of touchdowns in a variety of ways . In that
18 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky September 2022