One of a kind
Super fan Perry is a fixture at Douglass games
Super fan Perry is a fixture at Douglass games

By Robert Przybylo

Published: October 12, 2007

There's no such thing as just another football game for one Douglass High School superfan.

Clad in more orange and black than you'd see on Halloween, a smile comes across his face as soon as he enters any stadium that Douglass plays.

That smile never goes away the entire night because for 35 years, there's been one constant at Douglass football games.

Coaches move on, players grow up, but one thing remains the same: if the Trojans are playing football, Charles Perry is not too far behind.

Perry graduated from Douglass in 1972 and hasn't missed a game since. To everyone associated with Douglass High, Perry personifies everything that is great about the school.

"He's just a die-hard Trojan,” Douglass running back Da'Sor Horton said. "He's got a real big heart, and he's such a great person. There's nothing he wouldn't do for the program.”

And Horton's not just blowing smoke — there really is nothing Perry wouldn't do to help out his former stomping grounds. To Perry, Douglass is more than just a school. It's a way of life — his life.

Perry doesn't get paid for his numerous services. Whether he's handling the football to give to the referees, running the clock during basketball games, running errands for teachers, helping out in the cafeteria or answering phones in the school office, Douglass students and fans know they can count on "good ol' Mr. Perry.”

Living with his guardian, preacher Earl Bowie, Perry doesn't worry about mortgages or car payments. No, he's got more important concerns — like whether or not his Trojans are ready for another Friday night.

Everyone with Douglass knows who Perry is. And just about everyone has their own unique Charles Perry story.

"I remember this one time, one of my assistants was called up into the stands,” former Douglass coach Stanford White said. "He's thinking it's something really serious. It could be about his family or something else that really needed his attention.

"It turns out it's just Charles wondering why the team was playing poorly. Oh man, the assistant was furious. But you know, that's just Charles.”

The legend of Perry stretches far beyond the football field, something Douglass band director Andre Francisco is more than willing to share.

"One year, we were playing at the homecoming for OU,” Francisco said. "They were giving out OU hats, so Charles takes off his Douglass hat. We're getting everybody back on the bus when Charles realizes he doesn't have his Douglass hat.

"He decides to try to run back into the stadium to find that hat, thinking it might still be there. That's just his heart of gold. It's almost as if he felt he betrayed the school by leaving that hat behind.”

Francisco has been the band director for 14 years and said he learned a long time ago to not bother Perry when Perry's leading and dancing with the band.

White coached Douglass football from 1970-2005. Whenever Douglass played on the road, White would make sure there was one more seat saved on the Trojans' bus. That seat belonged to Charles Perry.

Willis Alexander, a Douglass alum and the Trojans' first-year football coach, said he doesn't try to stop Perry, even when Perry gets a little rambunctious. Alexander knows Perry doesn't mean any harm.

"If everyone had the same type of love and passion that Charles has for Douglass, this world would be a better place,” Alexander said. "I'm not just talking about football. You don't get the honor of meeting people with Charles' character too often.”

And Perry's character and exuberance for Douglass is never shown more than when it's time for the Trojans to take the field. It's like a switch for him. No matter what worries or troubles him, he knows that for a couple of hours, he'll have fun.

"I've never had a bad time at a game,” Perry said. "Even when we lose, I love seeing how hard we fight and never give up.”

Not much can surprise Perry at this point, but last Friday was one of those instances.

Before the Douglass-Northeast game, the Douglass band, cheer squad and most of the fans sang "Happy Birthday” to Perry, who turned 54. There was also a "Happy Birthday” sign taped to one of the fences.

No one asked the Douglass contingent to sing to Perry or to put up the sign. But for someone who has given his whole life to Douglass, he said it was a nice token of appreciation.

"This is his home,” Alexander said. "This is where he belongs. Charles is one of a kind.”

Perry goes through the ups and downs and everything in between during games, but nothing is sweeter than a Trojans victory.

"Charles is like a kid at heart,” Stanford White said. "He's never had to grow up because he's always been around Douglass. He bleeds orange and black.”

Perry's parents have died, and he's not married. But in a way, he said all the students he's known through the years have become his brothers and sisters.

At 54, Perry said he has no plans of slowing down. He said he would just be bored if Fridays came around, and he wasn't out there.

"It's tough to explain, it's that fight song,” Perry reiterated. "When that song starts, there's nowhere else in the world I'd rather be.”

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