CWRU Athletics

John Perse will be entering his third year on the Case Western Reserve University football staff and his 39th season of coaching football overall in 2026. He currently serves as an assistant coach, working primarily with the team’s defensive line.

Perse has been a fixture of the Northeastern Ohio football coaching community for over 30 years. His most recent college coaching experience was at John Carroll, where he served as an assistant coach on both sides of the ball during his tenure, working with the team’s linebackers, defensive tackles, long snappers, and tight ends from 2004 to 2012. After leaving John Carroll, he coached at Willoughby South High School and Orange High School.

Prior to his tenure at John Carroll, Perse coached at Beachwood High School for seven years as the defensive coordinator, linebackers coach, and defensive backs coach. He also coached at Shaker Heights High School, Western Reserve Academy, Flint High School, and Catholic University of America.

Perse attended the University of Virginia, where he received his undergraduate degree in history, and went on to earn his Master of Arts in Government at Georgetown University in 1981.