Being a military kid, Perkins was on the move every few years. The one sport he stuck with through it all was track & field. He was a self-proclaimed average athlete in high school, but he continued to develop because of his addiction to the technical and individual aspects of the sport.
“You don’t have to rely on anyone else to be successful, only yourself,” Perkins said. “You can really see your own personal growth through it, and to learn all the nuances of the events is exciting.”
Perkins started his prep career at Camarillo High School in Los Angeles before moving to Falls Church, Virginia, when his father, who had spent 20 years as a Naval fighter pilot, was stationed at the Pentagon after he was done flying. He transferred to and graduated from George C. Marshall High School, then made his way to the University of Tennessee to pursue his dream of competing collegiately as a high jumper. An injury would cut that dream short, but it ended up laying the foundation for his future career.
“Once I had that setback, I had to figure out what was next to stay involved in the sport, so I became a volunteer assistant and manager at Tennessee,” Perkins said. “I learned everything I could from associate head coach Vince Anderson and it kind of took off from there.”
Perkins did give the “real world” a shot after graduating from Tennessee as he moved back home to work for a telecommunications company. That lasted four months. Sweeping layoffs at his building made Perkins quickly realize he wasn’t cut out for a 9-to-5.
Perkins made his way back to his alma mater to serve two more seasons as a volunteer assistant, where he continued to soak up as much knowledge as he could from Anderson, who led the Vols’ men’s sprints, hurdles and jumps. Perkins then got his first assistant coaching position at CSUN, spending three years in Northridge alongside his best friend Jeremy Fischer, who was the Matadors’ jumps coach, and another one of his mentors, former head coach Don Strametz.
When Fischer left for Oklahoma in 2005, Perkins joined him as the Sooners’ sprints, hurdles and relays coach. After his first year in Norman, legendary UC Irvine head coach Vince O’Boyle called with an offer to be an assistant on the Anteaters' staff, but he declined, choosing to stay put. The opportunity with UCI came up again a year later and Perkins couldn’t turn it down a second time.
“Having moved my whole life and living in different places, Southern California was my favorite, so I wanted to come back out this way,” Perkins said.
Perkins joined the 'Eaters in 2007 and was promoted to associate head coach three years later. When O’Boyle, who had spent 32 years at the helm, announced his retirement following the 2013 cross country season, Perkins was elevated to head coach.
“It was amazing having a mentor like Vince,” Perkins said. “There was a lot I didn’t know about UCI and the UC system, so I got to learn about that from him. I learned about our track & field program and the success he had, while trying to continue to bring up our sprints and hurdles. Then Vince talked about retiring and elevating me, and that eventually happened. Since then, I’ve been trying to build my own niche in this program as a head coach and what I believe in from a culture standpoint, and it culminated in a women’s championship.”