Vince Perone - Furman Mentors


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VINCE PERONE
 
    It was the summer of 1958. A difficult schedule (including Florida State, Penn. State and Alabama) faced a team of mostly freshman football players. A new coaching staff, including line coach Vince Perone, had to cobble together a team to put on the field.
    
    I was a pulling guard, recruited from Orangeburg High School. Three memories of Perone form my “Tough Guy” conclusion.
    
    First, the team trained that year at Camp Rockmont. Hot, oh yeah. A diabolical ritual developed of “running the mountain.” In full pads following practice we would run up a mountainside and mostly fall down the other side. I looked around to see Coach Perone running beside me in a full sweatsuit.  
    
    Second, a 240-pound tackle was dogging it. Coach Perone called him out for a one-on- one drill. The problem was that the tackle was in full pads, while Perone had only a sweat jacket. Nonetheless, they went at it full speed. Perone held his own. I thought I heard a crack.  Perone finished the practice with no complaint. Next day he showed up with a broken collar bone.
    
    Third, it was a bitterly cold day when Perone began chewing out the pulling guards for not accelerating and giving a good forearm hit to the opposing end. To illustrate his point he raced down the line and zeroed in on the goal post with a particularly ferocious forearm shiver.  
    
    Coach Perone led by example, and we loved and admired him for it.  

— THOMAS PLAYER ’62