Kenny Perry and Joey McGuire used to knock heads as successful high-school coaches in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Their teams' clashes and the coaches' intensity became such that McGuire suggested they no longer square off unless a UIL playoff bracket dictated otherwise. But when Texas Tech gave McGuire his first college head-coaching job in November, one of his first calls was to Perry, whose roles include being associate head coach.

"The first time we played against each other, he actually could have scored a hundred on me," Perry said. "And the next time, the next year, he had like a 36-game winning streak and we actually beat 'em at Cedar Hill.

"We spent half the game arguing at each other across the hash. He called me that night and said, 'Hey, let's don't play each other ever again, because we're not going to be friends much longer.' "

Now they're in the same building, working together for the Red Raiders. The mutual respect survived the strains that can come with heated competition.

"It was great for us, and we both had great schools," said Perry, who was head coach at Arlington Houston (2000-03), Haltom (2004-05) and Arlington Bowie (2006-12).

"Obviously, he went on and won state championships, and I usually got beat in the semifinals or the quarterfinals. So he's the head coach at Texas Tech and I'm his assistant coach, and guess what, I'm fine with that, because he deserves it."

Perry said he's fine, too, with coaching whatever position he's asked to coach. That's why he's in charge of the Red Raiders' running backs, a position he played, but hasn't coached in college until now.

When McGuire hired Perry, Tech announced him as associate head coach and special-teams coordinator. When running backs coach DeAndre Smith left 2 1/2 months later for an NFL job, McGuire added running backs coach to Perry's duties and filled the vacancy by adding C.J. Ah You to oversee outside linebackers.

"I've always come up from the standpoint of, whatever the head coach wants you to do, that's what you're going to do," Perry said. "If he would've said, 'Hey, you're going to coach the offensive line,' I would've said, 'Well, I've got to put on some weight, and let's go coach the offensive line.'

"That's the way I was raised. I've gotten to coach under some great coaches, and I'm one of those guys that I'm going to do whatever has to be done."

In his playing days at Arlington Lamar, Perry was a running back, good enough to be recruited as one and sign with the University of Houston during the Cougars' heyday with Andre Ware and David Klingler operating the run-and-shoot offense. The Cougars quickly switched him to defensive back.

Since jumping into college coaching in 2013, Perry has coached cornerbacks, outside linebackers and special teams while making stops at TCU, Kansas and SMU.

Perry is a 30-year coaching veteran. But he credits much-younger assistants such as offensive coordinator Zach Kittley and special teams analyst Tyler Schovanec, as well his players, with making the transition on McGuire's staff go more smoothly.

Kittley led high-scoring offenses at Western Kentucky and Houston Baptist.

"I've been around some really good minds offensively," Perry said, "and he's pretty sharp and he's fun to learn off of. I'm just glad to get the opportunity to be able to learn from what he's doing, because he's pretty unique."

Perry inherits a good situation at running back. SaRodorick Thompson and Tahj Brooks have established themselves, and the depth is such that Xavier White and Chadarius Townsend are practicing this spring at receiver.

Brooks called Perry a "great guy" and "young minded."

"I love him to death," Brooks said. "He's a great guy to be around in the running-back room. He knows what he's talking about.

"We help him sometimes (with) some things that he doesn't know. We're just learning together in spring right now, just learning the offense and stuff like that, but he's a great guy to be around."

Perry will divide his time as overseer of the Red Raiders' special teams and running backs. It's not unlike the 2019 and 2020 seasons, when Mark Tommerdahl doubled as the special teams coordinator and assistant offensive line coach on Matt Wells' staff.

Schovanec joined the Red Raiders' staff this off-season after four years as special-teams coordinator and running backs coach at Houston Baptist. He's a right-hand man for Perry when it comes to organizing and planning for the kicking, punting and coverage units.

"He and I, we're up here late every night," Perry said. "I'm lucky I have him, because trying to learn this offense ... At TCU, Kansas and SMU, I've been part of the air raid, but from the other side — defensively, trying to stop it.

"So knowing the offense has helped me a little bit, but Tyler has been great, because he kind of gets all my stuff together and him and I hash out every night what we're going to do with our specialists. So I'm pretty fortunate to be on the staff and have someone like him."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Wearing many hats: Kenny Perry has full plate with Texas Tech running backs, special teams