Cecil Perkins

SWOSU Alumni Association Ex-Officio Member

For more than a quarter of century, Perkins has overseen a myriad of changes in the Bulldogs athletics program, culminating with a move to the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference in 1997. Under his watch, SWOSU won 12 national team championships: (6) rodeo, (5) women’s basketball and (1) football.

Perkins accomplishments were recently recognized this summer by the All-American Football Foundation when he was awarded the General Robert R. Neyland Award which is given annually to the most outstanding Division II athletic director in the region. The award’s establishment was to honor individuals for distinguished contributions to the game of football in all phases of the game. Honorees include college presidents, faculty athletic representatives, commissioners, coaches, sports writers, managers, trainers and the player’s themselves.

A native of Roosevelt, Perkins has devoted nearly a half century of work to the field of education, including the last 37 years in higher education. Perkins quarterbacked the Bulldogs in the late 1950’s before graduating in 1960. He earned his master’s degree from SWOSU in education in 1965.

He began his coaching career in 1960 at Carnegie High School, serving as the head football, baseball and track and field coach. In 1965, he moved to Northern Oklahoma Junior College where he spent three years as an assistant football coach and head basketball and baseball coach.

In 1968, Northwestern Oklahoma State University hired Perkins as an assistant football coach and the head baseball coach. Perkins remained in that role until 1971 when he was named the director of athletics. He maintained that position as head baseball coach and AD for the Rangers for the next 10 years.
Perkins came home to SWOSU where he assumed the duties of director of athletics and golf coach in 1981.

As golf coach, his Bulldogs qualified for seven (six NAIA, one NCAA) men’s National Tournaments and three women’s NAIA national tournaments. He coached 1997 men’s golf team and the 1998 women’s golf teams to LSC championships. Perkins retired from coaching golf in 2001 and now devotes full time to his athletic director’s duties.
He is a member of three Hall of fames and was inducted into the SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He has been previously inducted into the NWOSU Sports Hall of Fame (2002) and the NAIA Hall of Fame (1991).

Perkins and his wife, Patti, who teaches in the SWOSU school of education, have four children and seven grandchildren.