Jimmy Perry, a nine-year veteran in the Auburn administrative ranks, will take over as head coach at St. Paul’s Episcopal, Class 5A high school in Mobile, Auburn announced Monday.

“I’d like to thank Auburn for a great nine-and-a-half years,” Perry said in a university release. “I wanted to be a head coach again, and the opportunity to coach at St. Paul’s will not only allow me to do that, but to also make a meaningful impact on young men’s lives.”

For the past five years, Perry served as Auburn’s director of football operations. When he was hired in 2000 after a long career as a high school coach throughout Alabama, Perry was assigned as the director of high school relations.

Perry, along with secondary coach Phillip Lolley and former linebackers coach Joe Whitt Sr., aided in the transition period from Tommy
Tuberville to Gene Chizik and even hit the road to shore up high school commitments while Chizik worked to fill his coaching staff.

“Jimmy Perry has been a valuable asset to this football program for the last nine-and-a-half years and I am very appreciative for his hard work and dedication, especially during the last two-and-a-half months,” Chizik said. “We wish Jimmy the best of luck at St. Paul’s. They are getting not only an outstanding football mind, but a wonderful individual and family man.”

Perry, 51, graduated from Auburn in 1979. He spent 16 years as an assistant high school coach at three schools before landing his first head-coaching gig at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery. There, Perry earned three 6A Metro Coach of the Year honors while guiding the program to a runner-up finish in the 6A state championship in 1999 and to consecutive area championships in 1997 and 1998.

Perry’s son, Danny, was a fullback at Auburn High before joining the Tigers from 2004-07.

Coleman named to Lombardi watch list
Senior defensive end Antonio Coleman was one of 48 players across the country named to the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award Preliminary Watch list Monday.

The award is given annually to the best lineman or linebacker in college football. The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors or by being named to their respective all-conference first team as selected by the conference’s head coaches.

Coleman garnered All-SEC first-team honors from both the coaches and media in 2008.

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