“I’m ready, and I’m looking forward to it”
David Perry is the new leader overseeing all Neuqua Valley sports as the third athletic director in the school’s history. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“It’s a full circle moment for me to come back to, one being in athletics again, which is something that I love, and then I think just to get back into the coaching world and supporting physical education,” said new Neuqua Valley Athletic Director David Perry.
Perry returns to the athletic scene
He stepped through the doors at Neuqua in 1998 as a physical education teacher. But he’d always had a vision to move into more of a leadership and coaching role.
“Both of those goals came to me very early in my career. I became varsity defensive coordinator in my third year of being at high school, which as an 8A program that’s very uncommon and rare, and then I became department chair for health, driver and physical education in my fifth year here at Neuqua Valley High School,” said Perry.
From there, Perry became head administrator at the Neuqua freshman campus at the Birkett Center, a role he held for more than ten years. But when former AD Brandon Adkins took a leadership role at a Geneva middle school, and school renovations at Neuqua enabled a move for freshmen back to the main building for the 2027-28 school year…Perry saw a window to shift back to athletics.
“I knew that I was already going to have a transition, and this was a perfect fit. It’s a job that I had thought about many times before, and the timing wasn’t right. So when this opportunity presented itself, I felt like this could not have been a better time in my personal life to step into a role like this,” said new Neuqua Valley Athletic Director David Perry.
A connection with the coaching staff
Bill Ellinghaus, the Wildcat head football coach and longtime assistant athletic director, has coached alongside Perry and feels confident his leadership experience and work ethic will steer Wildcat athletics in the right direction.
“That guy goes 100 miles an hour, and he’s as passionate as I’ve ever seen somebody about Neuqua Valley and athletics in general, said Neuqua Football coach Bill Ellinghaus.
Like Barb Barrows and Brandon Adkins before him, Perry will continue to bolster all teams and coaches for the blue and gold.
“He’s seen what we’ve done and has acknowledged the program he’s been around. So it helps to see a friendly face and that he knows everything we’ve done here,” said Neuqua Valley girls volleyball coach Jamie Buhnerkemper.
“I’m a known commodity; I’m somebody they are familiar with, and that pays dividends when you already have current relationships and trust established. They know how I work, what my priorities are. They know my door is always open, and it’s allowed for some really great collaboration to occur immediately,” said Perry.
New facilities to kick off the campaign
Perry is wasting little time in his new role. He already went to work with his first game plan by ensuring a new turf field is ready for use for the upcoming year.
“We’ve long wanted a turf field, something that we would be able to utilize throughout the whole day. It gets used for physical education, athletics, and it allows a safe playing field for us to get on more consistently when grass becomes muddy and tough to navigate. So I think first as a point of pride for everybody, and second, there are the great opportunities that come with having a turf field,” said Perry.
But his key focus will be the players…making sure they have a bright future ahead, both in and out of athletics.
“I love winning, but at the same time, I love helping kids win in life to become better human beings. So I get to continue that legacy I appreciate and always share,” said Perry.
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