Austin Perry returned a blocked extra-point for the final score in Florida's 53-6 win against Charleston Southern in the season opener. (Photo: Jay Metz/UAA Communications)
Gators Walk-on Austin Perry's Close Ties to Emmitt Smith Helped Pave Way for Special Moment
Wednesday, September 5, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
That's fine by Gators walk-on Austin Perry.
"It was a nice little moment for the whole family,'' he said.
Let's cut straight to that little moment.
In his first appearance for the Gators, Perry, a redshirt freshman who joined the team in the summer of 2017, was on the field in the fourth quarter when Buccaneers kicker Tyler Tekac lined up for an extra point and the Gators leading, 51-6. Jeremiah Moon blocked the kick and the ball bounced directly to Perry.
A former standout cornerback and return specialist at Jones High in Orlando – he kicked and punted, too – Perry's instincts took over.
"Then I just started running,'' he said. "At that point, it was just like everything was silent. I felt like I was the only person in the stadium."
More than 80 yards later, Perry crossed the goal line and kneeled in the back of the end zone in prayer, putting an exclamation point on UF head coach Dan Mullen's debut with the game's final points.
In the stands, Perry's parents, Nicky and Darryl, cheered their only son's biggest play on a football field since he returned a kickoff for a touchdown in his final prep game in November 2016. If the name Darryl Perry sounds familiar, there's a good reason. He played for the Gators in the late 1980s and suffered what doctors later explained as an episode of cerebral hypoxia – a sudden loss of oxygen to the brain – in his sleep more than a decade ago that left Darryl clinically dead.
Following a dinner out in March 2007, Nicky and Darryl returned home and retired for the evening. Nicky woke up around 4 a.m. to find Darryl choking, gasping for air. As he foamed at the mouth and his eyes rolled into the back of his head – Darryl went into cardiac arrest – Nicky performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
One of the paramedics told Nicky that Darryl was gone when they failed to record any vital signs. However, after they used a defibrillator to jolt Darryl's heart, they detected a heartbeat and he was flown by helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Eleven years later, the miracle that is Darryl Perry remains physically impaired in some ways, but not nearly to the extent doctors told the family to expect.
"He was supposed to be brain dead for the rest of his life,'' Austin said. "He's doing a lot of things the doctors said he wouldn't do: riding a bike, boxing, running. That is just another reason I believe in God."
*****
Austin Perry had doubts he would ever experience a moment such as Saturday night on the same field where his father once blocked for Gators All-American Emmitt Smith.
In fact, he credits Smith as a major reason why it happened.
Listed as a 5-foot-10, 169-pound athlete on Florida's roster, Austin had always wanted to play at UF and passed up scholarship offers from smaller schools to walk on here. Still, after not seeing the field as a true freshman last season, Austin battled uncertainties about his future in the game.
The thought of quitting was real.
On a visit to the Smith family's home in Texas last summer, Austin shared his concerns with Emmitt, who is Austin's godfather, and Emmitt's wife, Pat.
Congrats to my @FloridaGators 🐊 and an awesome play last night by my godson Austin Perry #47. He's following in his father Darryl Perry's footsteps! #FloridaGators
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) September 3, 2018
"He's very close to my family,'' Austin said. "He's always been there when we have had rough moments. Him and my aunt Pat, I just love how they run their family. They are very humble people and people with a straight-forward mindset. I admire that so much. I'm really blessed to have him in my life, because I think if he wasn't in my life, I don't think I would have had that chance [Saturday]."
Not only were Darryl Perry and Emmitt Smith teammates at UF, they became lifelong friends. When they first met, they were just a couple of college kids in search of a bright future. Over the years the bond strengthened despite their very different paths in life.
When Darryl suffered his debilitating health issues, Smith traveled to Orlando and assisted the family, taking Austin to his Little League games and spending time with Perry's two daughters.
"DP and I, we kind of went into business together back in college,'' Smith said this week. "We started our own [car] detailing service. Actually, he asked me to be a foreman for the detailing service. We did stuff like that together in order to make ends meet in college and that's how we became friends. It's just a relationship that has remained throughout the years."
One night during this summer's visit with the Smiths, the family sat down at the kitchen table to talk about Austin's situation. The NFL's all-time leading rusher understands how the game can eat up players in search of an identity, especially a walk-on such as Austin, once a star for his high school team.
Another former Gators running back, Elijah Williams, was Austin's coach at Jones High. He, too, has seen Austin's struggles to find a home at the next level. Still, Williams left no doubt where Austin stands among players he has coached.
"He is one of the best players I've had and I've been doing this a long time," said Williams, who starred at running back for the Gators as Smith made his run into history in the NFL. "He scored 10 touchdowns as a senior and not one was on offense. He is just a great kid. A great young man. A great student. There is not one person here at this school that says anything bad about that kid."
Meanwhile, Smith's advice to Austin was straight ahead, much like the way he ran the ball during his playing career.
Work hard, take care of your business, and prepare for the moment you get an opportunity.
"As a player, you know that you can play the game, you want to play the game, you want to get in there and make a big play,'' Smith said. "The opportunity presented itself. Walk-ons are fighting every day for that opportunity. You've just got to stay on the grind and hope Coach sees something special in you and gives you a chance."
*****
Neither Smith nor Williams saw Austin's return live, but as soon as they heard about it, they watched replays with wide grins.
"As fast as he is, no way were they going to catch him,'' Smith said. "I was happy for him. I think it's a great story when you have the son of a former Gator playing on that field and making a play like he did."
Williams is busy with his own season, still in search of a playmaker of Austin's caliber as he tries to mold a young Jones High team this season.
He's seen Austin make those kinds of plays over and over on Friday nights.
"The kid did everything. He would pin one side of the field and we didn't look over there, we didn't give him no help at all, and he locked that side of the field down. It just made us so much better having him on the field. He just has a knack for the ball and he is always around it. Just like that game, any time he's by the ball, the ball bounces up perfectly for him to get it.
"Even though he had to walk on and prove himself … that kid is going to be on scholarship in the next two years."
That would certainly add another little moment to Austin's story. For now, he is playing special teams and as a reserve defensive back, getting extra reps in the opener with the game out of reach.
As Austin recounted the play after lunch one day this week, he seemed more interested in discussing those who helped make it happen than himself. His father congratulated him afterward. His mom cried. A religious person, Austin made sure to offer thanks to God in the moment on the field.
And of course, that talk with Smith over the summer helped shed light on the path to success.
"I was kind of doubting everything,'' he said. "I don't even think I was going to come and play again. I just sat back and looked at it and said, 'Wow, he is actually right. And my aunt is right and everybody is telling me what I need to know.' Everyone sees him as a superstar. I see him as a super person."
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