Bill Perigo

William Perigo

Perigo (left) and Matt Patanelli from 1955 Michiganensian
Sport(s)	Basketball
Biographical details
Born	(1911-09-17)September 17, 1911 Lebanon, Indiana
Died	February 7, 1990(1990-02-07) (aged 78) Saline, Michigan
Playing career
1927–1930	Delphi High
1931–1934	Western Michigan
1934–1936	Indianapolis Kautskys
1937–1939	Whiting/Hammond Ciesar All-Americans
Position(s)	Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1949–1952	Western Michigan
1952–1960	Michigan
Head coaching record
Overall	119–127

William J. "Bill" Perigo (September 17, 1911 – February 7, 1990) was an American basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for Western Michigan University from 1931 to 1934 and professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys from 1934 to 1936. Perigo also worked as a basketball coach for more than 25 years. He was the basketball coach at Benton Harbor High School for 13 years and led the team to the Michigan Class A state championship in 1941. He was the head basketball coach at Western Michigan University (1949–1952) and the University of Michigan (1952–1960). In 1983, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Perigo was born in Lebanon, Indiana in 1911. His father, Alonzo Lon Perigo, was a farmer in Boone County, Indiana. Perigo graduated from Delphi High School in Indiana in 1930. He twice helped lead Delphi to the Indiana state finals and was "considered the greatest jumping center of his era." He enrolled at Western Michigan University and graduated in 1934. He played three years of varsity basketball at Western Michigan, during which time Western Michigan compiled a 40–13 record.

In the 1930s, Perigo played professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys. During the 1934–35 season, the Kautskys, featuring Perigo and John Wooden, had a 15-game winning streak.

Perigo was a basketball coach for more than 25 years at the high school and collegiate levels. He coached high school basketball in Markleville, Indiana (two years) and Benton Harbor, Michigan (13 years) before moving to the collegiate level. His Benton Harbor teams won 13 Southwest Conference titles and the Michigan Class A basketball championship in 1941.

Perigo became a friend of John Wooden when the two played professional basketball together for the Kautskys. When Perigo coached high school basketball at Benton Harbor, Wooden lived a short distance away in South Bend, Indiana. During those years, Wooden and his wife often drove to Benton Harbor for Sunday dinners with the Perigos. Wooden also visited practice sessions and offered coaching tips to Perigo.