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As it prepares for its second season since football returned to campus, Bluefield has filled two of its coaching vacancies.

Chris Gummer

February 21, 2013

by Chris Gummer and Trey Wilson

As it prepares for its second season since football returned to campus, Bluefield has filled two of its coaching vacancies.

Joe Perri and Will King have been brought in to fill two big holes on the Bluefield sideline.

Bluefield athletics director Peter Dryer was part of the hiring process.

“I hired the offensive line coach Joe Perri and defensive coordinator Will King because they both understand the game very well and they both have a very good track record when it comes to football,” said Dryer.

Perri played football at the University of Pittsburgh, and he played in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl while with the Panthers. After graduation, he was the offensive line coach at Western Michigan University, and later coached in the European Football League with the Denmark Hurricanes.

“I’m very excited,” said Perri. “Being an offensive line coach again is something that I have been looking forward to doing. It’s a tough job to get, regardless of what level you are trying to coach at. I’m pretty happy and fortunate to get this position.”

Perri welcomes the challenge of coaching a young program.

“It’s a very demanding position, and in my opinion the toughest position to coach on the field,” said Perri. “You are responsible for five, sometimes six individuals that have to be coordinated at one time. The ability to take the kids that are here and develop them is an exciting thing. I enjoy taking the project and developing it, putting your stamp on it, and building the relationship with the kids.”

Head coach Mike Gravier, entering his third year with the school, is very excited about what Perri will bring to the team.

“Spend five minutes with Joe Perri and you know why I hired him,” said Gravier. “He’s an energetic and enthusiastic guy. He’s a very good coach and he has had some very good experiences and worked with some very good people.”

Nick Exposito, a freshman from Roanoke, Va., and a tight end on the team, believes that both coaches have a lot of experience, which will be helpful for the team.

“Coach Perri is crazy,” said Exposito. “We have been doing winter workouts in the gym and Perri pushes us to the limit that we look for and its tough, but I can’t wait to see what it’s like on the football team.”

King attended Delaware State University, where he received a master’s degree in sports management. 

“Coach King was a good choice for this team because he knows what he is doing, and his experience on and off the field will definitely is a big plus to the team,” said Dryer.

Gravier and King have some familiarity with each other. They worked together while coaching at Concord University.

“Will is a guy that I actually talked to as soon as I got this job,” said Gravier. “He was actually on the way to Delaware State at the time, so the timing didn’t work out. I knew he was a good coach and a local guy.”

At the beginning of the second semester, two coaches decided to leave the program for other jobs.

Former defensive coordinator Stacey Hairston took a position as the head coach at NCAA Division III Wilmington College in Ohio. Former offensive line coach Mike Compton joined the coaching staff of NCAA Division II Fairmont State, closer to his alma mater, West Virginia University.

“The fact that those two guys got better jobs after going 0-11 says that I hired the right people,” said Gravier. “The guys that I replaced them with are going to be equally as effective and do as good of a job.”

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