Football coach Greg Perry has a new head coaching job that’s just down the road from his previous two.
The former coach at Seton LaSalle and Keystone Oaks was introduced Monday as the new head coach at Mt. Lebanon, meaning he will have coached at three schools with campuses all within three miles of one another. Perry, 62, is also a native of nearby Dormont.
"I grew up real close to Mt. Lebanon, so I knew all of the great years they had in sports and what a great school it is,” Perry said. "The job opened up and I thought I could give something here. … Growing up all my life, Mt. Lebanon has been the pinnacle. They’re on top.”
The high schools for Keystone Oaks and Seton LaSalle are both within the boundaries of Mt. Lebanon. Combined, Perry spent 28 years at the two schools on McNeilly Road.
"It’s basically the same town, so he knows where all the pizza joints are,” Mt. Lebanon athletic director John Grogan said with a laugh. "And he’s from Dormont, so he grew up two or three miles from here. I think that gave him an appreciation of our program and a desire to be a part of that.”
Perry met with the Mt. Lebanon players after school Monday, the final step in the process of becoming the Blue Devils’ coach. Perry replaces Mike Collodi, who resigned in December after one season.
"He basically (told the players), ‘I’m going to give 100% and I’m asking the same from you,’” Grogan said. "He then followed them right down to the weight room, so they’re off and running.”
Welcome to Mt. Lebanon, Coach Perry. The Blue Devil football program is in excellent hands. #LeboProudhttps://t.co/SbYEYMJll1pic.twitter.com/Pt0VbUSFfG
— LEBO FOOTBALL (@mtlebofootball) February 13, 2024
Perry said his coaching style is to lead by example, so he wanted to establish that idea on day one.
"I’ll be the first guy they see every day and the last guy leaving the building,” Perry said. "They need that. It’s hard to have kids be accountable and hold them to being on time if you’re not there.
"We’re just getting out of there now (at 6 p.m.), so they had a good workout today,” he said.
Mt. Lebanon went 5-6 overall last year, 1-3 in conference and qualified for the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs.
Perry’s teams were 118-58 combined in his 17 seasons as a head coach. He spent nine at Seton LaSalle and eight at Keystone Oaks, his high school alma mater.
He coached last season as a quarterbacks coach at Canon-McMillan and worked the 2022 season as a college assistant at Duquense under Jerry Schmitt.
It was Schmitt who gave Perry his first coaching job, as an assistant at South Fayette in 1990. After two years there, Perry spent the next two decades at Seton LaSalle, including as offensive coordinator under Lou Cerro, now Montour’s coach.
Perry succeeded him as Seton’s coach in 2005 and went 73-24 in nine seasons.
The Rebels had a record-setting passing attack in Perry’s years with the program, at times led by quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski and Bill Stull.
Perry later went 45-34 in eight seasons at Keystone Oaks and reached the playoffs seven times. He resigned after the 2021 season.
"We’re obviously excited about bringing him on,” Grogan said. "The mix of his experience coaching throughout the WPIAL for over 30 years and his ability to build positive relationships with our kids were the deciding factors we looked at in making the hire.”
Not wasting any time. Coach Perry joined the team for their offseason workouts in the weight room this afternoon. #LeboProudpic.twitter.com/fUdyB6tLDD
— LEBO FOOTBALL (@mtlebofootball) February 13, 2024
Please join me in welcoming our new Head Football Coach!! Welcome and best of luck to Greg Perry!! Go LEBO!! pic.twitter.com/Vc5wFH4Fx0
— MtLebanon Sports (@MtLebanonSports) February 12, 2024
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
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