Two years after leading the Sycamores to their greatest season in 30 years, all-time leading passer Mike Perish has returned to Indiana State as a member of head coach Mike Sanford's coaching staff as his wide receivers coach for the 2016 season.
Perish, who put together one of the best single-season offensive efforts in Indiana State history during the historic 2014 campaign, completes Sanford’s 2016 staff following the hires of cornerback/nickelback coach Maurice Crum Jr. and special teams/tight ends coach Gary Hyman back in February.
“Mike Perish is an outstanding addition to our staff,” Sanford said. “He had an excellent career at Indiana State, capped off by being the quarterback who led us to the first playoff appearance in 30 years. He has been preparing himself for this moment. He already understands our offense, so it will be a very good transition for us and for him coming into this position. I see a very bright future for him.”
Perish – a native of Frankfort, Ill., and graduate of Marist HS – played at Indiana State from 2012-2014 after transferring from Western Michigan in 2011. In those three seasons, Perish became one of the greatest to ever don a Sycamore uniform, becoming ISU’s all-time leading passer and destroying several single-season records along the way in 2014.
That season, Perish earned Second-Team All-MVFC honors as he led a potent Sycamore offense that propelled ISU to a playoff berth and a first-round victory over Eastern Kentucky – Indiana State’s first in the playoffs since 1983. That season, Perish rewrote the record book, becoming the single-season record holder in: offensive plays (589), total offense (3,309, broke Blayne Baggett’s 2005 record by nearly 500 yards), pass attempts (528), pass completions (324), passing yards (3,515, breaking Baggett’s 2005 record by more than 800 yards), completion percentage (61.4) and touchdown passes (21).
In that playoff victory at Eastern Kentucky, Perish also set single-game records in completions (41) and passing yards (407) as the Sycamores routed the Colonels 36-16. Perish would finish his career with 10 250-yard passing games and second all-time in total offense (6,373) behind two-time MVFC Player of the Year, Jeff Miller (7,519).
2014
Second-Team All-MVFC
Second-Team All-MVFC honoree as Indiana State's QB...Led the Sycamores to an 8-6 campaign and its first playoff berth since 1984...In the playoffs, led ISU to a 36-16 victory over Eastern Kentucky in the first round, Indiana State's first playoff victory since 1983...Became ISU's all-time leading passer, finishing his career with 6,716 passing yards...Broke seven single-season records in 2014: offensive plays (589), total offense (3,309), pass attempts (528), pass completions (324), passing yards (3,515), completion percentage (61.4) and TD passes (21)...Also set single game records vs. EKU in the playoffs: completions (41) and passing yards (407)...Ended his career with ten 250-yard passing games...Finished career second all-time in total offense at 6,373.
2013
Played and started in eight games for the Sycamores at the quarterback position ... Completed 139-of-243 passes for 1,586 yards and 14 touchdowns .... Long pass reception of 78 yards came against Quincy ... Was voted the MVFC Offensive Player Of The Week for his 23-of-26 passing performance for 379 yards and four touchdowns against the Hawks ... Set a career high with 30 pass completions against Youngstown State and threw for a career-best 392 yards against the Penguins ... That effort against Youngstown State was just four yards shy of the school record and he found nine different receivers on the day, while all nine had multiple receptions ... Posted rushing touchdowns against Quincy and Tennessee Tech ... Sycamores set a team record with over 400 yards of passing against Quincy.
2012
Took home MVFC All-Newcomer honors as he was the team's leading passer with 155 completions on 280 attempts for 1,615 yards and 10 TDs, with a long pass completion of 43 yards ... Averaged 37.09 yards per game, which ranked 20th in the MVFC and went over 200 yards passing three times, including a season-best 221 yards at Youngstown State ... Posted two touchdown passes in three different games while maintaining a 109.88 passing efficiency rating, which was ninth-best in the MVFC ... Tallied 134.45 yards of total offense per game, ranking ninth in the league.
At Western Michigan (2010 & 2011)
Played in three games at WMU as a redshirt freshman in 2011 and was 4-of-10 for 42 yards, including a long completion of 21 yards. He made his debut against Nicholls on September 10 and completed four passes for 42 yards and scored his first career touchdown against Akron on November 25.
High School
Was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was ranked as the 93rd-best quarterback prospect nationally by Scout.com ... was named all-area as a junior and senior by the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Southtown Star ... First Team All-State selection in 2009 by the Chicago Tribune as well as Rivals.com .... His Marist HS team finished as the state runner-up in 2009 ... an All-East Suburban Catholic Conference First Team selection in both 2008 and 2009 and was named the league's Most Valuable Offensive Player in 2009 ... selected to participate in the Illinois Coaches Association East/West All-Star Game following his senior season in which he was 248-of-345 passing (71.8 percent) with 3,385 yards and 37 touchdowns ... For his career he passes for 5,398 yards with 57 touchdowns.
Personal
Born Oct. 3, 1991 in Chicago, Ill. ... Son of John and Cressa Perish ... Father's cousin, Norm Bulach, was a first round NFL draft selection by the Baltimore Colts and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins from 1970-80 ... Majored in Accounting.
