Earl Wayne Perkins grew up immersed in Oklahoma Sooner football, inspired by his mother’s devotion to listening to games on the radio during the 1950s. Born in October 1952, Earl’s passion for the Sooners was cemented in 1962 when he tuned into Bob Barry’s electrifying call of Joe Don Looney’s remarkable 60-yard run, sealing a 7-3 victory against Syracuse in the season opener. That thrilling moment marked the beginning of his lifelong fandom.

Earl cherished the weekly coverage of Sooner games in The Oklahoman and admired the talented writers who brought the sport to life, such as Volney Meece, Bob Hurt, Ray Soldan, and the witty Frank Boggs. Over at The Oklahoma Journal, he followed the work of Nick Seitz, Tom Wright, and Tom Dirato, as well as the legendary Al Eschbach, who remains an enduring presence in Oklahoma City sports media for over 60 years. Earl’s appreciation extended to The Tulsa World, where Bill Connors became one of his all-time favorites, and to Texas publications, where writers like Blackie Sherrod of The Dallas Morning News and Dan Jenkins of Sports Illustrated broadened his perspective on college football.

Inspired by these sports-writing icons, Earl pursued his passion for writing, contributing to his high school newspaper for three years. Though he initially planned to study journalism in college, life led him down a different path. He worked as an electrician at the University of Oklahoma for 27 years, retiring on December 31, 2015, before finally returning to his writing dreams 45 years later.

In October 2017, Earl published his debut novel, Rocket Man, a patriotic sci-fi espionage thriller now under consideration for adaptation into a feature film by two production companies.

Earl lives in Newcastle, Oklahoma, on a serene acreage with his wife of 32 years, Kathy. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Shannon Brodie (married to Brian Brodie) and Amy Matheson (married to Brian Matheson). The Brodies call Bridge Creek, Oklahoma, home, while the Mathesons reside in Oklahoma City. Earl and Kathy also have a son, Ryan Brown, who lives in Newcastle, Oklahoma, along with two grandsons, Micah Brown of Newcastle and Seth Brown of Edmond, Oklahoma

Earl welcomes correspondence at P.O. Box 14, Blanchard, OK 73010, or via email at:
  ekperk@outlook.com