Robert Perry Beaver (December 13, 1938 – July 11, 2014) was an American

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern Woodlandsfootball Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach. He was principal chief of the

Muscogee (Creek) Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...

from 1996 until 2003. Born in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, Beaver attended Morris High School in

Morris, Oklahoma Morris is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,494 at the 2010 census, an increase of 14.3% from the figure of 1,294 recorded in 2000. History The community began as a cattle stop on the Ozark and Cherokee Cen ...

, and then went to

Murray State College Murray State College is a public community college in southeastern Oklahoma with the main campus located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. It is named in honor of former Oklahoma Governor William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray. Murray State College also mai ...

, where he was a junior college football All-American in 1958. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Central State College and his master's degree in education from

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Univer ...

. In 1961, playing under the name Bob Beaver, he was briefly a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He then moved into high school coaching. In 1977, he became the head coach at

Jenks High School Jenks High School is a secondary school located within Tulsa County in Jenks, Oklahoma, United States. It serves students from the town of Jenks and students from the south side of the city of Tulsa. The high school has over 2,800 students in grad ...

Jenks, Oklahoma Jenks is a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, and a suburb of Tulsa, in the northeastern part of the state. It is situated between the Arkansas River and U.S. Route 75. Jenks is one of the fastest-growing cities in Oklahoma. The city's ...

, where he led the team to its first two state championships in 1979 and 1982, and retired after the 1990 season. His career record was 109–53.Randy Krehbiel
"Former Creek Nation chief, Jenks football coach Perry Beaver dies"
''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...

'', July 15, 2014. He is a member of the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Beaver was elected to the Creek Nation Council in 1984. In 1985, he became second chief. Beaver served as principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from 1996 until 2003. As chief he oversaw an expansion of tribal housing and development services."Muscogee (Creek) Nation Mourns the Loss of Former Chief Perry Beaver,"
''Coweta American'', July 11, 2014. He died at his home in Morris on July 11, 2014.

Notes

1938 births 2014 deaths Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma Muscogee people University of Central Oklahoma alumni Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football players Northwestern State University alumni Native American leaders Green Bay Packers players High school football coaches in Oklahoma People from Morris, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Muskogee, Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma People from Jenks, Oklahoma 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans {{NativeAmerican-politician-stub