A native of Morehead City, David Perry attended West Carteret High School and excelled in football and baseball before being recruited to join the wrestling team his senior year by Hall of Fame coach Gordy Patrick.

Graduating in 1983, Perry attended North Carolina State where he played football and earned a degree in history in 1989.

Perry's first teaching job was at Jacksonville High School from 1990 to 1993 where he coached football, wrestling and baseball.

Returning to West Carteret in 1994, Perry coached football and wrestling, leading the wrestling team to a regional title and a runner-up finish in the state duals in 1994.

In 1998, a newly built Croatan High School opened its doors and Perry took over as head football coach, head wrestling coach, and athletic director. Over the past 20 years, Perry's Croatan wrestling teams have been a dominant force in 2A, winning five dual team and tournament state championships in 2010, 2011, and 2013. His teams were also 11-time state dual team and state tournament runner-ups in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2019. Perry's career dual team record is 538-119 and includes 20 conference championships and 12 regional championships. To date, he has coached 181 state qualifiers, 70 state place-winner, 23 state finalists, 12 state champions, and eight All-Americans.

Perry also founded the Beast of the East Tournament at Croatan in 1998 and the Carteret County Grapplers youth program in 2004.

Retiring from teaching, football, and athletic director duties in 2019, Perry is still the head wrestling coach at Croatan as well as an assistant track coach.

He currently teaches at Gramercy Christian School in Newport and works part-time at Blue Water Realty in Emerald Isle.