THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 3, 1995 TAG: 9511030661
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Old Dominion men's soccer coach Ralph Perez will miss today's season finale against UNC Wilmington after returning to Hauppauge, N.Y. for the funeral of his older brother.
Ray Perez, 48, died Wednesday afternoon after suffering what appeared to be a heart attack while playing basketball at Brentwood High School on Long Island, where he coached the boys soccer team.
``He was playing basketball with some other coaches and administrators, just working out,'' said Brentwood athletic director Chuck Goehring. ``They tried to revive him with mouth-to-mouth and CPR, but by the time they got him to the hospital he was dead on arrival.''
Ralph Perez was told of his brother's death during the first half of ODU's game at Richmond Wednesday night. He finished the game and returned to Norfolk, leaving for New York Thursday.
``Ralph was a trooper, a rock. He coached through it and was very strong,'' said Monarchs assistant coach Lin Outten. ``I don't know how he did it.''
Ray Perez was a coach at Brentwood for 25 years and a guidance counselor in the district school system. He spent 14 years leading the Brentwood varsity soccer team, where he coached ODU senior midfielder Raul Ovalle from 1988-91.
Ray Perez was in the stands at the ODU soccer stadium on Oct. 14 to watch his son, Ray Jr., a freshman midfielder at American University, play against the Monarchs.
Services will be held Saturday at Moloney's Funeral Home in Hauppauge, and the Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle Church.
Outten will coach the team in Ralph Perez' absence. by CNB