"Coach Norford taught me not only to run properly, but also how to methodically run with form, acceleration, speed and technique. When competing in other sports like football, basketball and soccer. I always had the confidence of using my speed, not because I was faster, because I knew how to run with acceleration and relaxation."
 

Coach Perkins, competed in track and field, football, and basketball at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Florida.  After high school, Oji received several scholarship offers for football, track, and academics.  He attended Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania, where he was a three year lettermen in Division-I football, and an ECAC Regional Qualifier in Track & Field.  After accepting a grant-in-aid to participate in NCAA athletics at Bucknell, Perkins developed a love for coaching and mentoring student-athletes through the Big Brothers and Sisters Program in Lewisburg, PA.  Prior to his arrival to Georgia Athletics, Perkins coached four Conference, three District, two Regional, and two State Championship teams in Orlando, Florida.  In his third season as the North Gwinnett High School head track coach, the team has made significant progress towards becoming one of the elite programs in Gwinnett County.  Coach Perkins has over 10 years of youth coaching experience and has been involved in track and field for nearly twenty-five years.  He has assisted over twenty student-athletes in receiving athletic grant-in-aids to continue participating in collegiate track and field.  Notable athletes coached include, Odeika Bent (University of Georgia), Nicole DiMercurio (University of Georgia), Kevin Starks (Iowa Western), Brandon Hartley (FAMU), Victor Chin (Florida International), Deondrae Williams (Florida Atlantic), to name a few.  Perkins’ goal is to expose our youth to the sport of track and field, promote physical fitness, and provide a unique experience for our youth.