George Perles George J . Perles ( born July 16 , 1934 ) is a former American football player and coach . He was a defensive line coach , defensive coordinator , and assistant head coach for the NFL ' s Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972 – 1982 and the head coach at Michigan State University from 1983 – 1994 . Perles was elected to the MSU Board of Trustees in 2006 . Early years . Perles was born in Detroit , Michigan on July 16 , 1934 . The only child of Julius and Nellie Perles , George grew up in Detroit and attended Western High School . Upon graduating , Perles and 17 of his high school friends jointly enlisted in the U . S . Army . Michigan State . After returning from active duty , Perles returned to Michigan where he enrolled at Michigan State University and played football under legendary coach Duffy Daugherty . Perles played the 1958 season before his playing career was cut short by a knee injury . Perles then started his football coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State before moving on to the high school ranks in Chicago and Detroit , where his St . Ambrose High School team won their first Detroit City League Championship in 1961 . Perles returned to Michigan State as defensive line coach under his mentor , Daugherty . Pittsburgh Steelers . In 1972 , Chuck Noll , head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers , reviewed dozens of resumes and interviewed numerous candidates before deciding to offer Perles the position of defensive line coach . In Perles ’ first season , the Steelers made the NFL playoffs for the second time in franchise history , the first since 1947 , losing to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game . In 1974 , the Steelers won the first of six consecutive AFC Central division championships and also their first Super Bowl . Perles became the defensive coordinator for the Steelers in 1978 and then assistant head coach under Noll in 1979 . During Perles ' ten years with Pittsburgh ( 1972 – 1982 ) , the Steelers won a then - unprecedented four Super Bowls and became known as the team of the decade for the 1970s , largely on the back of their " Stunt 4 - 3 " defense designed by Perles . USFL . In 1982 , Perles was hired as the head coach of the Philadelphia Stars of the fledgling United States Football League ( USFL ) . Perles worked for one year with the Stars during the development and formation of the league and the team , but broke his contract with the team prior to the start of the first season when he was offered the Michigan State head football coaching position . The Stars sued MSU for interfering with Perles ' s contract the case was settled out of court . Return to Michigan State . Perles returned to Michigan State University on December 3 , 1982 . In 12 years , he led the Spartans to two Big Ten Conference titles and seven bowl games . His best team was the 1987 unit , which won Michigan State ' s last outright conference title in the pre - championship game era and defeated USC in the 1988 Rose Bowl . NCAA sanctions . During 1994 – 1995 , an extensive external investigation conducted by the law firm of Bond , Schoeneck & King , PLLC . uncovered various infractions including grade tampering by an athletic department administrator . MSU president M . Peter McPherson fired Perles before the end of the 1994 season , and ordered the Spartans to forfeit their five wins for that season , resulting in Michigan State ' s second official winless season of the modern era . If not for the forfeited games , Perles would be the second - winningest coach in MSU history behind only his former boss , Daugherty . In 1996 , the NCAA accepted MSU ' s self imposed sanctions and added additional penalties , including the loss of six football scholarships for 1996 . While the NCAA found there was " lack of institutional control " within the football program during Perles ' tenure , it cleared him of wrongdoing . After coaching . Motor City Bowl . In 1995 , Perles and former Michigan State University Sports Information Director , Ken Hoffman , founded and initiated the Motor City Bowl , a collegiate football bowl game in Detroit . In 2007 , the Motor City Bowl enjoyed a record crowd of more than 63 , 000 people in its 11th game with Perles as chief executive officer and Hoffman as executive director . MSU Board of Trustees . In November 2006 , Perles was elected as a Democrat to the Board of Trustees of Michigan State University . He began serving an eight - year term beginning January 1 , 2007 . In May 2007 , the MSU Board of Trustees voted to name the plaza adjacent to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building the George J . Perles and Sally A . Perles Plaza in honor of the couple ’ s $ 500 , 000 donation . Head coaching record . < nowiki > * < / nowiki >