Field Of Dreams For Perron
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
The soybean field that Donnie Perron once noticed on his way to Port Barre High School has a new name.
It’s now known as Donnie Perron Field at Red Devils Stadium.
Perron reflected Friday night about the transformation of the field from a long ago agricultural setting to an athletic site where he coached Port Barre High football for many of his 26 seasons.
There was a lot of help for sharing that remembrance and other Port Barre coaching memories for Perron, as former players, coaches, family members and St. Landry Parish school officials were there to congratulate Perron during a field dedication ceremony prior to the start of a Week 2 Devils’ football game against Beau Chene.
Perron, who came to Port Barre from Port Sulphur, won 257 high school games that included a 73.4 percent winning percentage, a state championship, a state runnerup and 14 district championships during 29 years.
To help him accomplish that at Port Barre, Perron eventually assembled one of best coaching staffs in the parish and one that included three former head coaches at other programs.
Several of those former Port Barre assistants such as Bruce Broussard, Earl Heintz and Bill Duplechin are now deceased, but during his address to the pre-game spectators, Perron gave them credit for their contributions.
Ex-Port Barre player Maurice Sonnier described Perron as a leader and father figure for his players.
“He was someone who taught all of us how to be a man. We were taught the proper work ethic and (Perron) was someone who earned all of our respect,” Sonnier said.
Blake Quebedeaux, who also played for the Devils under Perron during the late 1990-era, thanked Perron for a number of life lessons while playing for Port Barre.
“Personally, I can’t thank (Perron) enough. In those days, the town went the way the team went. With Coach Perron, we were able to establish some great values that we carried with us through life,” Quebedeaux said.
The school outdoor athletic facility which included the stadium, field and track, Perron added, was a facility upgrade that has helped provide an efficacious effect for the Port Barre program since the early 1990’s.
“I guess you could say this bean field became a field of dreams for our program. It was great to see it become something that nearly three generations of Port Barre athletes have become proud of,” said Perron.
