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In 2019, Ron Perry Sr. spoke about the 1969 men’s basketball team he coached at Catholic Memorial with a 29-0 record. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Ron Perry Sr., who led the College of the Holy Cross to national championships in two sports in two years and served as the school’s athletic director for more than a quarter of a century, died Friday at the age of 92.
Perry was a sophomore pitcher for the Crusaders baseball team that won the College World Series in 1952. He defeated Texas 2-1 in the elimination game. Two years later, on his birthday, Perry pitched a no-hitter against Harvard, capping off his college baseball career.
In 1954, he served as co-captain and point guard for the Crusaders’ basketball team, playing alongside Tommy Heinsohn and Togo Palazzi as they won the second NIT championship in program history.
In 1972, he returned to Holy Cross as athletic director, leading women’s track and field for 26 years at the helm and overseeing the construction of numerous athletic facilities, including the Hart Center.
In 1979, the National Basketball Coaches Association awarded Perry one of its highest honors by naming him to the Silver Anniversary Basketball Team, which recognizes student-athletes who have made a mark after their collegiate career. Perry and Bob Cousy are the only Holy Cross graduates to be honored.
Perry remains Somerville High School’s all-time leading scorer (1,154 points), leading him to a New England championship in 1949 and coaching Catholic Memorial University to three state basketball titles and a 292-34 record. He achieved great results, scoring 186 points. -53 record as Knights baseball coach. He is a member of the Somerville, Catholic Memorial, Holy Cross, and ECAC Halls of Fame.
“This has special meaning,” CM football coach John DiBiaso said after his team’s 34-0 win over St. John’s Prep on Saturday. “Every time we step on the field, we’re playing for not only this year’s team, but the team that came before us and the tradition. So this is a very nice win for us. We hope the Perry family gets through this difficult time. Our hearts are with them.”
After graduation, Perry, who enlisted in the Marines for three years before embarking on a career as an educator, faithfully cared for his wife, Pat, after she suffered a stroke, for decades. The couple had three children and many grandchildren.
His son, Ron Perry Jr., scored 2,481 points as a basketball star at CM and remains the school’s all-time leading scorer at Holy Cross. Perry Jr. was drafted by both the Celtics and Red Sox.
A wake will be held Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Gormley Funeral Home in West Roxbury, and a funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Teresa’s Church.
(Nate Weitzer also contributed to this report.)
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