Perry Klein

Klein was born in Santa Monica, California, and is Jewish.[3][4][5][6] 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.[7][8][9][10]

He attended Malibu Park Junior High School.[4] Klein was an All-America and All-City high school volleyball player. [11]

Klein played football for the Palisades Charter High School Dolphins.[8] 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).[12][8] He also set a state record for most passing yards in a game, with 562.[8] 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.[13][11]

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.[14][15][11] In high school Klein had a 72% pass completion record, averaging 10.7 yards per completion.[11]

Klein received a scholarship and played college football for the University of California-Berkeley California Golden Bears for his first three years of college.[2][13] He also attended Santa Monica College.[16] Going into the 1993 season National Football League draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Klein as the nation's fifth-best pro quarterback prospect.[17]

He then transferred and in his senior year in 1993 played for the C. W. Post Pioneers, throwing for 38 touchdowns.[18][14][1][2] 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.[19][16][11][18][20] 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.[19][21] He played in the 1994 College All-Star Senior Bowl and passed for one touchdown.[11]

Klein was a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1994 NFL Draft—the third quarterback drafted, behind Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer-and won the No. 3 quarterback slot with them over Bob Gagliano.[22][9][2][11] He was with the Falcons for two seasons.[11] In 1996, he was waived by the team and played with the Amsterdam Admirals in the World Football League, which would become NFL Europe.[23]

In 2008 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[11]