Michael Perry

Michael "Mike" Perry is a former Australian rules football player who played in the VFL between 1965 and 1969 for the Richmond Football Club. Educated at Scotch College, Mike played two seasons for Old Scotch Collegians in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (1963 and 1964, 38 games). He won their Best and Fairest Trophy each season, and was selected for the VAFA Representative side in 1964 (at 20 years of age). Recruited by Richmond in 1965 (he broke his jaw in the round 3 match against St Kilda, his second senior match, and did not play another senior match that season), he eventually became a fixture at centre-half-back, and fans got used to seeing his mop of red hair flying above the pack, as well as being delighted by his tenacious clearing dashes. He was tall, strongly built, and had wonderful judgement; his ball sense was quite remarkable, and he always made rather hard tasks seem much simpler than they were. By 1967 he was a fixture in the Richmond side at centre-half-back. He was selected in a Victorian State team, and played in Richmond's first premiership team since 1944 when Richmond beat Geelong 16.18 (114) to 15.15 (105). He played the entire 1968 and 1969 seasons for Richmond's senior side, missing Richmond's 1969 Grand Final winning team because of a suspension for striking Footscray's Tad Joniec in the last home-and-away match of the season. Although he was unable to play any more senior grade VFL due to an injury, he continued to play satisfactorily at a lower level for a number of years: 1970: Richmond Reserves. 1971: Richmond Reserves, including the 1971 Reserves Premiership (thus, from 1965 to the end of 1971, Mike had played 1 Victorian Representative game, 53 senior games, and 45 reserve games). 1972: Dandenong Football Club, 11 games. 1976–1977: Portland, captain-coach, 36 games. 1978–1979: Power House VAFA Football Club, captain-coach. 1980–1984: Old Geelong Grammarians VAFA Football Club, captain-coach. Including his time with Old Scotch Collegians, and his VAFA and VFL selection, he played altogether 281 games in his career (continuing to play until he was 40).

Whilst at Richmond, Mike worked for an advertising agency.

His most memorable piece of work being the famous slogan he devised to sell Captain Morgan Rum: "Captain Morgan is good for your organ"!

Needless to say, with the newspaper, radio and television coverage, added to a slogan-covered Moomba Procession Float that was overflowing with lustful pirates and nubile wenches, the sales of Captain Morgan Rum skyrocketed with his campaign.

He went on to conduct a photography business, and became involved in the Richmond Former Players' and Officials' Association.