Eastern Washington University Athletics

An incredible athlete who later became a quarterback at Washington State, Perrault lettered for Eastern’s basketball team from 1942-45 and played in the NAIA Tournament three of the years. The tournament was not held the other year he played, in 1944. Eastern won at least 20 games in each of his four years as he helped lead his team to a 95-24 record (.798 winning percentage), including 27-5 records in 1942-43 and 1944-45. Eastern was 2-3 in five NAIA Tournament games with Perrault on the roster, including a pair of wins in the 1943 Tournament before a 57-51 overtime loss in the quarterfinals. As a senior he ranked second nationally by scoring 507 points (16.4 average), which stood as a school record for 26 years. He earned All-Winco honors in the 1942-43 season when Eastern won the league title, but the war interrupted the league season for the next two years. Because of incomplete records, Perrault's career scoring is unavailable. As a sophomore and junior he earned the school's Scarlet Arrow Inspirational Award, and as a senior he served as team captain. He received his Eastern degree in 1945. Named by the legendary Red Reese as one of the greatest basketball players he ever coached, Perrault was originally from Toppenish, Wash. He also lettered in football twice at Eastern (1941 and 1942). Perrault went on to play the 1945 season as a quarterback at Washington State, and helped lead the Cougars to a 6-2-1 record. He then played professional basketball for the Phillips 66 Oilers in the Industrial League, helping the team win the National Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) title in 1948. Perrault was an alternate for the Olympic men’s basketball team in 1948 and traveled with the team to London. His brothers, Fred Perrault and Jean “Bill” Perrault, also attended Eastern and graduated in 1950. Jack Perrault passed away on Oct. 1, 1974, at the age of 51.