Ray Perkins (running back)

Ray Perkins (born November 6, 1982 in Nuremberg, Germany) is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played collegiately for Southeastern Louisiana University.

High school career
Perkins attended Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was a standout in football and track. In football and track, he won All-County and All-State honors. As a senior, Perkins rushed for 1,440 yards to break Dillard's single-season rushing record previously held by former Houston Oilers running back Lorenzo White.

He went to the state track meet the last two years while he was in high school. His fastest times in the 100-meter and 200-meter were 10.51 seconds and 21.8 seconds, respectively. Perkins graduated from Dillard in 2000.

Vanderbilt
On February 2, 2000 Vanderbilt football coach Woody Widenhofer announced the signing of Perkins to play football for the Commodores. As a true freshman, Perkins was named a first team preseason All-Southeastern Conference selection as a return specialist. He finished the season with 425 rushing yards and one touchdown on 87 carries while leading the SEC in returns average and yards while also finishing 10th in the nation in kick off returns.

Southeast Missouri State University
Perkins enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University following expulsion from Vanderbilt. He sat out the 2001 season under NCAA transfer rules.

University of Iowa
Perkins committed to the University of Iowa and redshirted the 2002 season. He left the team following the season and reasons for the departure remain unknown.

Southeastern Louisiana University
Following his departure from Iowa, Perkins enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana University. There he rejoined former Vanderbilt head coach Woody Widenhofer, who was now the defensive coordinator at SELU. The 2003 season marked the first time SELU fielded a football team since the program was cut in 1985 for financial reasons.

Despite head coach Hal Mumme's his high-powered passing attack, Perkins gained 741 yards on 155 attempts in 2003 while scoring six touchdowns. He also finished third on the team in receiving with 37 receptions for 199 yards.

In 2004, Perkins broke the 1,000-yard mark as a senior with 1,148 yards on 179 attempts. He also finished with 360 yards receiving and found the end zone a total of 13 times.

2005
Perkins went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft and subsequently signed with the San Diego Chargers on April 29. He was waived at the conclusion of the preseason on September 3 and added to the team's practice squad two days later, where he remained for the entire regular season.

2006
Perkins was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Chargers on January 3, 2006. He was released by the team on September 2 and would once again spend the season on the team's practice squad.

2007
Perkins attended a Miami Dolphins minicamp from April 13-15 on a tryout basis. He was signed by the team on April 16, 2007 and was assigned No. 33, which had most recently been worn by running back Kay-Jay Harris - now with the St. Louis Rams - in training camp the previous two years. The move reunites Perkins with Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron, who was offensive coordinator for the Chargers during Perkins' time there.