Saint James Football Coach Jimmy Perry to Retire

Saint James Football Coach Jimmy Perry/Source: Saint James School

After a 44-year career, Saint James School Head Football Coach Jimmy Perry is retiring.

The winningest coach in school history, Perry spearheaded the school winning its first ever football state championship in December 2022.

“I have loved every minute I have spent coaching and helping young people discover their strengths and talents, and the last year was the icing on the cake,” Perry said. “Judy and I have been blessed to spend our lives, and especially the last 10 years, working with an incredible
team of coaches, students, and administrators who love each other and understand that football provides a wonderful foundation for a life dedicated to working with and serving others. We are so grateful for the many families, coaches, players, and colleagues who have touched our lives and made this such a rewarding journey.”

Perry began his coaching career in 1979 after graduating from Auburn University. From 1982-2000, he coached at Robert E. Lee High School, serving as the head coach his last five years and leading the team to a berth in the 1999 AHSAA Class 6A state championship game.

In 2000, Perry took a role on the football staff at Auburn University, where he stayed until Tommy Tuberville’s departure in 2008. Perry then resumed high school coaching as the head coach at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile for three years before becoming the head football coach at Saint James School in 2012. Perry also currently serves as the school’s dean of middle and high school students.

In 2021, Perry became the winningest coach in Saint James School history, and finished the 2022 season with an overall record of 92-37. In the last seven years, the Trojan football team won nearly 80 percent of its games, earned four region titles, made the playoffs nine years in a
row, and won the 2022 3A AHSAA State Championship. As a head coach over 19 seasons, he attained an overall record of 157-69.

In 2022, Perry was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Perry currently serves on the Alabama Football Coaches Association Board of Directors and on the AHSAA District 3 Legislative Council. In addition, he previously served on the National Kidney Foundation Board of Directors and as the 2021 Patient Chair for the Alabama Kidney
Foundation.

Head of School Dr. Larry McLemore said the school will begin an immediate search for its new head football coach.