On the first day of the UCLA football team’s fall training
camp last month, Tab Perry walked onto Spaulding Field wearing
street clothes and sat in the stands. “Man, I wish you were
out there in a uniform!” a Bruin fan yelled to him, excited
to simply see Perry, even if he was there only as a spectator. Two
weeks later, the fan got his wish. Perry was once again in uniform,
on the field with his teammates. It has been over a year and half
since Perry last played with the Bruins. Most people thought his
career at UCLA was over after he was dismissed from the university
in January 2004. Many believed in the prospect that he would never
again don the blue and gold uniform. At first, Perry wasn’t
even sure he wanted to return to the Bruins, and had entertained
the idea of transferring to a Division I-AA school. He appeared to
simply be another UCLA casualty. But then, early this summer, it
was learned that Perry was actively trying to return to the
university, a journey which took him to three different schools as
well as online classes. While that August afternoon at training
camp may have ended with Perry tossing a football off to the side
of the field, by the end of pre-season camp, he was back in full
pads, trying to regain his position in the starting lineup.
“When I sat there in the stands this fall, it made me want to
come back,” Perry said. “More like redemption, with
things to prove in order to make up for lost time.” Now, with
Perry readmitted to both the university and the Bruin football
team, many optimistically wonder if Perry could indeed be the
missing link for the offense. Pending NCAA approval, Perry will
return to the field, and this season will surely deliver that
answer.
Missing Tab In the wake of Perry’s
absence, the team he left has changed considerably. Last
season’s woes have been well-documented, with the offensive
production, or lack thereof, at the forefront for the 6-7
Bruins’ season. Being forced to stand idle only made his
problems worse. “Last year was the worst, because it was all
very fresh to me and this was my first year of not playing since I
was a freshman in high school,” Perry said. “I worked
really hard with these guys in the (2003) offseason ““ blood,
sweat and tears ““ and it hurt because it feels like I let
them down.” But Perry’s return is significant enough
for the Bruins’ offense, allowing him plenty of opportunities
to redeem himself. Averaging 19.9 yards while raking in 35 catches
in 2002, he is a proven receiver with veteran experience. At the
least, Perry’s presence will relieve some of the pressure on
fellow receiver Craig Bragg, who carried a bulk of the team’s
offense on his shoulders last year. At best, both Perry and Bragg
could become one of the conference’s standout receiving
tandems. But Perry will also aid UCLA in kickoff returns. He holds
the top two spots in single season kick returns in the Bruin record
books after gaining 598 yards in 29 returns during the 2000 season
and 626 yards off of 25 attempts in 2002. For a Bruin offense that
was ranked No. 110 out of the 117 Division I schools last season,
adding a threat like Perry will only help the team, but it’s
still too early to gauge whether he is the missing piece of the
puzzle. Already during fall camp, UCLA has made significant strides
in improving the offense after bringing in new offensive
coordinator Tom Cable. But the returning players have had over a
year to learn the West Coast Offense and its complex schemes,
whereas Perry has had less than two weeks to digest the offense.
“The real issue for him is how fast he can catch up and learn
and go out there with confidence and do what we’re asking him
to do,” Cable said. “That will be the key for him.
“We’re doing well with him, but is it where we want it
yet? No. It has to get better, but certainly you can tell
he’s a pretty sharp guy and able to handle the load
we’ve put on him.” Perry is confident he can learn the
offense in time, saying that learning schemes has never been a
problem for him. And after 20 months off, he’s been able to
stay in shape to endure the rigorous two-a-day practices during
camp. But Cable still is not sure if he will be prepared enough to
start Saturday’s season opener against Oklahoma State.
“It depends. He’s got a ways to go, and it depends on
how much he can handle which will dictate how much he plays,”
Cable said. Unfortunately for the Bruins, even if he is ready, they
don’t know if Perry will be allowed to play.
The long and winding road back Trouble for
Perry first started a year ago, when in August he learned he would
be academically ineligible to play during the 2003 football season.
He then decided to use his redshirt season and use the time to
surgically repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. After sitting
out the entire season, Perry was officially released from the
football team after being dismissed from the university in January
2004. Perry decided transferring to a Division I-AA school, where
he could maintain his final year of eligibility, would be in his
best interest. Perry later announced he would attend Montana
University in the summer. But that idea didn’t stick.
“I wanted to come back here for my family,” Perry said.
“I know my mom really wanted me to come back here. “And
I’m coming back to a team. Since I don’t have any
brothers, these guys are like my brothers. Now I’m a
fifth-year senior; I feel like an old man here. I feel like I have
a whole bunch of little brothers.” Perry’s former Bruin
teammates agreed that if it was possible, returning to UCLA would
be the best option for him. “He didn’t seem excited
about the other schools,” said Bragg, one of Perry’s
best friends. “So I said, “˜Why don’t you try to
get back here?’ When I found it was possible, I tried to do
whatever I could to encourage him back.” It was during the
time Perry was forced to the sidelines because of his academic
problems that he questioned if he even wanted to return. At that
point, the answer wasn’t clear. “I just wasn’t
sure if it was the right thing to do,” he said of rejoining
the team. “Because I really didn’t know (the coaches)
and they really didn’t know me.” With coach Karl
Dorrell in his first season coaching the Bruins, bringing with him
the complex West Coast Offense, Perry wondered if the new coaching
regime and new offense would be receptive to him. Having not been
recruited by Dorrell, he was apprehensive about the coaches.
Ironically, it was Dorrell’s actions and words that led Perry
back to UCLA. “Coach (Dorrell) did a really good job of
telling me, “˜You know what, Tab? We love you here and
you’re family.’ That was pretty much the deciding
factor right there,” Perry said. While Dorrell could have
revoked his scholarship for the 2003 season, he didn’t, and
decided to leave the option up to Perry. “He started here,
and regardless of the situation he got himself into, the reason why
I left the door open was because he could do all the things
required of him and earn his way back to this university,”
Dorrell said. “We had no ill regard for Tab. “So I told
him if he could get himself where he can right the ship and get
himself back to this university, we would have a spot for him, and
that’s exactly what happened.” Indeed, it was possible
for Perry to return, but little did he know what extraordinary
measures it would take to do so. After Perry left UCLA last spring,
he returned to his home in Northern California and enrolled in San
Jose State. Doing his homework, Perry learned that if he wanted to
return to UCLA he would need to fulfill two semesters and maintain
at least a B average. Because of an NCAA mandate stating that
should athletes transfer schools within a division they would lose
one year of eligibility, Perry maintained a part-time student
status at San Jose State and later did the same at BYU. He also
took online classes at Adams College before finally returning to
UCLA for the summer session, where he took three classes. In hopes
of redeeming himself, Perry managed to earn straight As for the
past two quarters. “I’m so proud of the way he worked
to get back to school,” Bragg said. “Schoolwork
hasn’t always been big for me and him, and seeing that he got
straight As is great.”
Perry’s case before the NCAA But after
all Perry has done to be readmitted to the university, there is
still a chance he won’t regain his final year of eligibility.
Two weeks ago, the football program sent Perry’s paperwork to
the NCAA to apply for a progress-toward-degree waiver. Already, the
NCAA has asked on two different occasions for more information.
While at first this process appeared to be only a formality, the
NCAA striking down USC’s Mike Williams’ efforts to
regain eligibility, though based on completely different
circumstances, has both Perry and Dorrell slightly worried.
“I am concerned because they are making a statement to do the
proper things you need to do academically to operate and
participate in collegiate sports,” Dorrell said. “And I
think that’s important and I’m not going to understate
that. “He’s done everything that is asked of him. But
right now he’s at the hands of the NCAA. It’s not an
issue whether UCLA wants him or not, it’s more whether he
will be cleared.” Since there is no timetable set by the NCAA
to hand down it’s ruling, for now everyone is keeping their
fingers crossed. But for Perry, simply being around the
family-atmosphere of the team again is good enough. He noted after
one of his first few practices what it meant to be back.
“When we were warming up, I looked around and thought to
myself, “˜Man, it really is great to be back here.’
Horsing around in the locker room, eating dinner with the guys …
it may have been physically and mentally hard, but it was worth it
in the end.” Should he not be allowed to play, he will still
keep working towards his degree in psychology. But if he can play,
Perry recognizes that his struggle isn’t complete. “I
know the battle isn’t over yet,” Perry said.
“Just getting back is the first step. Now I have to get
ready, get prepared for the season and 12, 13 games. Sure, it feels
good to be here, but I know the battle isn’t over.” No,
the battle isn’t over, but at least he’s in a uniform.
A blue and gold uniform.