Perry on the field after the game.
Senior
Thomas Perry of the Middlebury football team shined at the 100th edition of the East-West Shrine Bowl on Thursday, January 30. The offensive lineman was a member of the East team, taking down the West 25-0.
"The Shrine Bowl was a great opportunity to showcase my skills, and it was a lot of fun to be out there with so many talented athletes," said Perry. "It was a great honor to be the only Division III player there."
Perry, who played four years as a guard for Middlebury, recently assumed the role of center for the first time on the gridiron.
"With only three weeks at center under his belt, Thomas showed that he belongs on this stage," said Duke Manyweather of OL Masterminds. "He handled this positional transition extremely well and I am very proud of him. Thomas is a special human and player, and now the world is starting to see these qualities. I've coached a lot of professionals and I've never seen a player go as viral as Thomas has this quickly."
Perry first gained national attention this past summer while training with Manyweather. The Panther went on to post an impressive final campaign with Middlebury, becoming the first in program history to earn three All-American honors. He was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America squad for the second-straight year, while earning All-NESCAC First Team honors. Perry was tabbed to the Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List earlier in the fall.
"I am very thankful for all the coaches I have worked with over the past few years, and specifically to the Middlebury coaching staff and Duke Manyweather for helping me prepare over the months leading up to the game," said Perry. "I am excited to continue training and for the potential opportunity to continue playing at the next level."
"He has some things to clean up, develop and improve on moving forward, but he showed how elite he is," said Manyweather. "To put in perspective how dedicated Thomas is in the process, he showed up at the office at 5:00 a.m. following the game to get his lift in."
Perry will continue his eight-week pre-NFL Draft training program this month at the Sports Academy in Texas. He will work on preparations to run the 40-meter dash, the three-cone drill, the pro agility, the jumps and the 225-pound bench test.
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