William J. Perigo (September 17, 1911 – February 7, 1990) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. He played college basketball for

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

from 1931 to 1934 and professional basketball for the

Indianapolis Kautskys Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion C ...

from 1934 to 1936. Perigo also worked as a basketball coach for more than 25 years. He was the basketball coach at

Benton Harbor High School Benton Harbor High School is a high school in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, and is part of the Benton Harbor Area Schools. History In 2009, the school received a $52,000 grant from the U.S. federal government's stimulus program to upgrad ...

for 13 years and led the team to the Michigan Class A state championship in 1941. He was the head basketball coach at

(1949–1952) and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(1952–1960). In 1983, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early years and college basketball

Perigo was born in

Lebanon, Indiana Lebanon (/ˈlɛbnən/) is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 15,792 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is located in central Indiana, approximately northwest of downtown Indianapolis and southe ...

in 1911. His father, Alonzo Lon Perigo, was a farmer in

Boone County, Indiana Boone County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 70,812. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Lebanon. History In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the Northwest Territory, ...

. Perigo graduated from Delphi High School in Indiana in 1930. He twice helped lead Delphi to the Indiana state finals and was "considered the greatest jumping center of his era." He enrolled at

and graduated in 1934. He played three years of varsity basketball at Western Michigan, during which time Western Michigan compiled a 40–13 record.

Professional basketball

In the 1930s, Perigo played professional basketball for the

. During the 1934–35 season, the Kautskys, featuring Perigo and

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in a 12-year period as head ...

, had a 15-game winning streak.

Coaching career

Perigo was a basketball coach for more than 25 years at the high school and collegiate levels. He coached high school basketball in

Markleville, Indiana Markleville is a town in Adams Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Indianapolis–Carmel–Anderson metropolitan statistical area. The population was 484 at the 2020 census. History Markleville was laid out by ...

(two years) and

Benton Harbor, Michigan Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is 46 miles southwest of Kalamazoo and 71 miles southwest of Grand Rapids. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,103. It is the smaller, by population, of ...

(13 years) before moving to the collegiate level. His Benton Harbor teams won 13 Southwest Conference titles and the Michigan Class A basketball championship in 1941. Perigo became a friend of

when the two played professional basketball together for the Kautskys. When Perigo coached high school basketball at Benton Harbor, Wooden lived a short distance away in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

. During those years, Wooden and his wife often drove to Benton Harbor for Sunday dinners with the Perigos. Wooden also visited practice sessions and offered coaching tips to Perigo. Perigo was the head basketball coach at

(1949–1952) and the

(1952–1960). He compiled a 41–27 (.603) in three years at Western Michigan. In July 1952, he was hired by the

as its head basketball coach. In eight years as the head coach of the

Michigan Wolverines men's basketball The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the College basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nation ...

team, Perigo compiled a 78–100 (.438) record. His record in Big Ten Conference games while at Michigan was 38–78. Perigo's best season at Michigan came with the 1958–59 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, captained by M. C. Burton, Jr., which compiled a 15–7 (.682) record. Perrigo resigned as Michigan's head basketball coach in May 1960 after the 1959–60 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team finished with a 1-13 record against Big Ten Conference opponents. Perigo told the press at the time that he planned to obtain a master's degree and pursue a career in teaching or athletic administration.

Later years and death

Perigo remained in Ann Arbor after resigning his coaching position, and worked as an administrator until he retired in 1970. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983. Perigo died in Ann Arbor in 1990 at age 78.

References

External links

NBL statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perigo, William 1911 births 1990 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Indiana Basketball players from Indiana Centers (basketball) College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Hammond Ciesar All-Americans players High school basketball coaches in Indiana High school basketball coaches in Michigan Indianapolis Kautskys players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball coaches People from Lebanon, Indiana Sportspeople from the Indianapolis metropolitan area Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball coaches Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball players Whiting Ciesar All-Americans players Indianapolis Jets players