{{Short description|American football player (born 1971)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use American English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox gridiron football biography | name = Perry Klein | image = | number = 7 | position = Quarterback | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|3|25}} | birth_place = Santa Monica, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/29/sports/college-football-making-the-best-of-a-second-chance.html|title=College Football; Making the Best of a Second Chance|first=|last=|date=September 29, 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref> | weight_lbs = 218 | high_school = Palisades {{nowrap|(Pacific Palisades)}}<br>Carson {{nowrap|(Carson, California)}} | college = California<br>C.W. Post | draftyear = 1994 | draftround = 4 | draftpick = 111 | pastteams = * Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1994|1995}}) | pfr = }} '''Perry Sandor Klein''' (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL).<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web |date=August 23, 1994 |title=Football; Klein, C.W. Post Quarterback, Is Sticking With Falcons |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/23/sports/football-klein-cw-post-quarterback-is-sticking-with-falcons.html |access-date=September 29, 2025 |work=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> He played college football for the California Golden Bears and C.W. Post Pioneers.
In high school, he set the national record in pass completions in a game (46; in 49 attempts), and a California state record for most passing yards in a game, with 562. In his junior season, Klein set the California high school state record by throwing for more than 5,000 yards, and in his senior season of high school he was named California State Player of the Year. In his senior season of college, he played for C.W. Post, setting school single-season records by throwing for 3,757 yards and 38 touchdowns, and single-game records by throwing for 614 yards, 35 completions, and seven touchdowns in a single game, and was named the Division II Player of the Year. Klein was a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1994 NFL draft.
==Early life== Klein was born in Santa Monica, California, and is Jewish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KleiPe20.htm|title=Perry Klein Stats|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=JPOST19890322-01.1.20&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|title= Peregrinations of QB Perry Klein|author=Shel Wallman|work=Jewish Post|date=March 22, 1989}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/holidays/2019/12/17/pacific-palisades-home-shines-brightly-every-year-for-entire-neighborhood|title=Pacific Palisades Home Shines Brightly for Entire Neighborhood|website=Pacific Palisades|author=Sarah Pilla|date=August 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&q=%22Perry+Klein%22+%22jewish%22&pg=PA311|title=Day by Day in Jewish Sports History|first=Bob|last=Wechsler|date= 2008|publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=9780881259698|via=Google Books}}</ref> His father is Danny Klein, a businessman in the scrap metal business, who played football in high school and was a single-wing tailback at Theodore Roosevelt High School in East LA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/405866817/|title= Preps|page= 30|website=The Los Angeles Times|date=November 10, 1988}}</ref><ref name="auto6">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjCOAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Perry+Klein%22+%22volleyball%22&pg=PT65|title=The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks|first=Bruce|last=Feldman|date=2014|publisher=Crown|isbn=9780553418460|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="auto5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WGfaCwAAQBAJ&q=%22Perry+Klein%22+%22danny%22+father&pg=PA56|title=The QB: The Making of Modern Quarterbacks|first=Bruce|last=Feldman|date= 2015|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=9780553418477|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-04-16-sp-1378-story.html|title=Palisades High Quarterback Klein Transfers to Carson|author=Rob Fernas|date=April 16, 1988|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
He attended Malibu Park Junior High School.<ref name="auto"/> Klein was an All-America and All-City high school volleyball player. <ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://scjewishsportshof.com/klein-perry.html|title= Perry Klein; Football - 2008|website=Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref>
Klein played football for the Palisades High School Dolphins.<ref name="auto6"/> In a game against Jordan High School on November 20, 1987, he set the national record in pass completions in a game (46; in 49 attempts), and the school record in consecutive pass completions in a game (26).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://palifootball.org/record-book/|title=Team & Individual Records|work= Palisades Charter High School Record Book | Pali Football Quarterback Club|year=2020}}</ref><ref name="auto6"/> He also set a state record for most passing yards in a game, with 562.<ref name="auto6"/> In his junior season, Klein set the California state record by throwing for more than 5,000 yards, and was Los Angeles All-City Player of the Year.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2671960-from-big-ben-to-deshaun-watson-and-beyond-steve-clarkson-is-the-qb-dream-maker|title=From Big Ben to Deshaun Watson and Beyond, Steve Clarkson is the QB Dream Maker|first=Matt|last=Hayes|website=Bleacher Report|date=November 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/>
He then transferred to Carson High School for his senior season and helped the Colts win the 1988 City Section 4-A Division championship, as he was named California State Player of the Year, ''Parade Magazine'' High School All-America, and a Campbell Soup All-American.<ref name=scra>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-30-we-10213-story.html|title=Scramblin' Man : Quarterback Perry Klein Has Been Vilified for Switching Schools--But That Was Before the NFL Called|date=June 30, 1994|author=Rob Fernas|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-10-sp-221-story.html|title=Winning Acceptance: Football Star Perry Klein Wasn't Used to the Tough Time He Got From Carson Team, But He Won That Game, Too|author=Rob Fernas|date=November 10, 1988|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/> In high school Klein had a 72% pass completion record, averaging 10.7 yards per completion.<ref name="auto3"/>
==College career== Klein received a scholarship and played college football at the University of California, Berkeley for the California Golden Bears in his first three years of college.<ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto2"/> He also attended Santa Monica College.<ref name="auto9">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1993/11/11/notebook/82eccb47-f58d-4e4c-9c29-b3054a87aed4/|title=Notebook|first=Steve|last=Berkowitz|date=November 11, 1993|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Going into the 1993 season National Football League draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Klein as the nation's fifth-best pro quarterback prospect.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/10/18/college-football|title=College Football|first=William F.|last=Reed|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=October 18, 1993}}</ref>
He then transferred to the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. In his senior year with the Pioneers in 1993, he threw for 38 touchdowns.<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web|url=https://liupostpioneers.com/sports/2018/5/30/football-history-and-record-books-new.aspx?path=football|title=Football History and Record Books|website=LIU Post Athletics}}</ref><ref name=scra/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto4"/> Klein was named the Division II Player of the Year, after throwing for an NCAA Division II record 614 yards passing (623 yards total yardage), 35 completions, and seven touchdowns in a single game, and a Division II record 3,757 regular season yards passing and 4,025 regular season yards in total offense, while also setting a school single-season records of most touchdowns.<ref name="auto8">{{Cite web|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=JPOST19940112-01.1.20&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|work=Jewish Post|date=January 12, 1994|title= Sports Scene Great, growing grid corps|author=Shel Wallman}}</ref><ref name="auto9"/><ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto7"/><ref>[https://static.post.liuathletics.com/custompages/football/FB%202011.pdf "Records"], ''2011 Football Media Guide'', C.W. Post; Long Island University, p. 74.</ref> He passed for a 248/407 (60 percent) completion rate, was # 1 in Division II for total offense at a record 405.2 yards per game, was named an EC AC Div. II All-Star, 1st team, and ''Sports Illustrated'''s Division II Player of the Year.<ref name="auto8"/><ref>[http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/D2/2010/DII.pdf ''NCAA Football Division II Records''], ncaa.org.</ref> He played in the 1994 College All-Star Senior Bowl and passed for one touchdown.<ref name="auto3"/>
==Professional career== Before the 1994 NFL draft, Klein outcompeted every other quarterback at the league's scouting combine.<ref name="Jury">{{cite news|last=Havel|first=Chris|title=Jury Still Out on Ward|work=Stevens Point Journal|date=April 18, 1994|pages=9, 10}}</ref> Nonetheless, the ''Stevens Point Journal'' only projected him as a fifth-round choice and as the eighth-best quarterback in the draft.<ref name="Jury"/> Vinny Ditrani of ''The Record'' rated Klein the seventh-best quarterback,<ref>{{cite news|last=Ditrani|first=Vinny|title=This Year's No.1 Question Is Who's No. 2|work=The Record|date=April 17, 1994|location=Hackensack New Jersey|page=S-13}}</ref> as the tenth-best by the ''Philadelphia Daily News'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Domowitch|first1=Paul|title=It's a Two-Man Game at QB: Shuler, Dilfer Only Ones Who Aren't "Projects"|work=Philadelphia Daily News|date=April 22, 1994|page=D-6}}</ref> and as a likely fourth-round pick by the ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Bricker|first=Charles|title=Rating the Quarterbacks|work=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|date=April 20, 1994|page=8C}}</ref> who rated Klein fifth-best. As a fourth-round draftee by the Atlanta Falcons, he would actually prove the third quarterback drafted, behind first-rounders Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer. Klein won the No. 3 quarterback slot with the Falcons over Bob Gagliano.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1994 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1994/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto5"/><ref name="auto4"/><ref name="auto3"/> He stayed with the Falcons for two seasons.<ref name="auto3"/> In 1996, he was waived by the team and played with the Amsterdam Admirals in the World Football League, which would become NFL Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boards.atlantafalcons.com/topic/3816465-whatever-happened-to-this-guy/|title=Whatever happened to this guy?|website=boards.atlantafalcons.com|date=November 28, 2008|access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref>
==Accolades== In 2008, Klein was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name="auto3"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Atlanta Falcons 1994 draft navbox}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Perry}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:American football quarterbacks Category:Atlanta Falcons players Category:California Golden Bears football players Category:Santa Monica College alumni Category:LIU Post Pioneers football players Category:Jewish American players of American football Category:Players of American football from Santa Monica, California Category:Carson High School (Carson, California) alumni Category:21st-century American Jews Category:Jews from California