10/09/2026
Today we take a moment to honor an individual who served the FCSAA for many years, Pensacola State College former Athletic Director Dr. Donn Peery. Dr. Peery passed away October 2 at the age of 92.
"Many individuals have left a legacy across the Florida College System Activities Association, but in the Athletics Division in particular, few have made as great an impact as Dr. Donn Peery," said Rob Chaney, FCSAA Associate Director and Athletics Commissioner. "Although our Association looks vastly different today, as the founding Chair of our Council of Athletic Affairs, Dr. Peery helped lay the foundation for how the FCSAA governs intercollegiate athletics, and that structure continues to live on almost four decades later."
A graduate of what was then known as Pensacola Junior College and Florida State University, Dr. Peery devoted more than 37 years to Florida's public education system, including more than 31 years within the Florida College System. After teaching physical education in Miami public schools and serving at Miami Dade Community College, he returned to Pensacola Junior College in 1978 as Director of Athletics. During the next two decades, he served as Department Chair, District Dean of Student Affairs, Interim Vice President of Academics, and Provost. Throughout his career, one of Dr. Peery's greatest joys was recruiting, developing, mentoring, and encouraging the next generation of coaches and educational leaders, equipping them for years of faithful and successful service.
His influence extended well beyond his own campus. He served for 15 years as Chairman of the Panhandle Conference, as President of the Florida College System athletic organizations, as a member of the Executive Board of the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA), and as founding Chair of the FCSAA's Council of Athletic Affairs (1987-88).
Throughout Florida, colleagues came to know him as a wise and trusted leader whose influence was measured by his character.
"Donn was a mentor to many, especially me," said former PSC head baseball coach and athletics director Bill Hamilton, who served as CAA Chair from 2015-17. "I followed in his footsteps at the then Pensacola Junior College, and those were big shoes to fill. He was the 'Founding Father' of the Council of Athletic Affairs and its first Chair. Many years later, when I became (CAA) Chair, I invited Dr. P to come and address the Council he started. He loved it and gave a brief history of the CAA to the current administrators which, by the way, they, too, enjoyed."
Over more than three decades in Florida's public education system, Dr. Peery dedicated his career to students, athletics, and the continued growth of Pensacola State College.
"Donn was a down to earth man who loved the FCSAA and the young people that we served," said Mike Matulia, former head baseball coach and athletics director at Lake-Sumter State College and another former CAA Chair (2011-13). "He was a great mentor and friend to many of us in the FCSAA and will be remembered and honored by all of us."
His legacy continues to live on throughout Pensacola State College — including the Donn Peery Room at Hartsell Arena and through his 2020 induction into the Pensacola State Athletics Hall of Fame.
The FCSAA sends its condolences to Dr. Peery's family, as well as the Pensacola State College family.
