Percy Grimes was a dual-sport star at Shippensburg University from 1953-56, excelling in both football and track & field. In football, he played offense and defense for coaches Vinton Rambo and Jack Roddick and was around during the PSAC-record 20-game winning streak that Shippensburg put together from 1951-54.
Among his many duties on the football team included work as a runner, passer, blocker, kick returner and holder on extra points.
In two years as the team's primary passer, Grimes completed 43-of-98 passes (43.9%) for 755 yards. He threw 14 touchdowns to just six interceptions. For his career, Grimes was 46-of-102 (45.1%) with 822 passing yards.
He also rushed for at least 389 yards during his career – ranking second on the team as a senior with 47 rushes for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
In his freshman season of 1953, Grimes was the team’s passing leader that season, completing 17-of-52 passes for 364 yards and seven touchdowns. SU went 8-0.
As a sophomore in 1954, Rambo’s final campaign as head coach, Grimes again played halfback and completed 26-of-46 passes for 391 yards and seven touchdowns – earning All-State Teachers College honorable mention in the process.
SU went 7-1, with the only loss being at the hands of California. He was the team’s total offense leader in 1954, totaling 541 yards on 81 plays. Included in that total are 150 rushing yards.
Grimes is not listed in the 1955 statistics leaders but played that season under Jack Roddick as a left halfback. In 1956, he was again listed as the team’s halfback in its statistics. He was second on the team in rushing to John Connor, having totaled 186 yards on 47 carries, and also completed 3-of-4 passes for 67 yards and caught three passes for 50 yards.
Yet Grimes was perhaps most dominant as a premier point-getter for the SU track & field team. His specialties were the high hurdles and the high jump. He was a team leader on the first undefeated SU track and field team in school history (1956) and started a streak of 43 consecutive victories in dual and triangular meets.
He was also a five-time PSAC place-winner. As a sophomore in 1955, he placed second in the 120 high hurdles and tied for fourth place in the pole vault. As a freshman in 1954, he took fourth place in the javelin and fifth place in the 120 high hurdles. In his senior season, 1957, Grimes placed third in the pole vault.
After graduating from Shippensburg, Grimes worked for 12 years as a social studies teacher and football and track & field coach at his alma mater, Palmyra High School in Palmyra, N.J. Grimes worked in sales for the remainder of his career and in 1998 was named Senior Vice President, Urban Market, Glencoe Education Division for McGraw-Hill Companies until his retirement in 2004 after 35 successful years in sales.
Percy and his wife, Celestine, a retired New York City administrator, reside in North Brunswick, N.J. They have three sons, Alex, John and the late David, in addition to three grandchildren, Brittany, Alex, Jr. and Carla Grace, as well as a great-granddaughter, Savannah.
