Fort Cherry grad involved in planning for NFL Draft
Family and football bind the Kemps and Iverys.
And while those from each family have taken their turn exhibiting their football prowess and abilities on center stage, Perry Ivery is getting a second act.
Ivery, chairman of the board for Visit Pittsburgh, is deeply involved in the planning of the upcoming NFL Draft and is co-chair of the lodging committee for the event.
“I was given an opportunity by the Steelers organization and Visit Pittsburgh when we found out we were going after the NFL Draft and leading up to it to be involved.
“They saw my passion for the city of Pittsburgh. They saw my passion for the Pittsburgh Steelers and our great city of Pittsburgh as well. So that did help. They knew the history and how much I love the game of football, of course. So, it’s great how it all came together.”
His involvement with the Steelers and the draft is a dream come true for Ivery, who is the general manager of the Oaklander Hotel in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Last year, Ivery was named General Manager of the Year for Autograph Collection Hotels by Marriott International.
The honor is based on criteria that includes excellence in serving as a brand ambassador, sales leadership, financial performance and active engagement in the local community.
Ivery also understands his work with the NFL Draft has ironies.
His uncle, Ray Kemp, was the first African-American player in Pittsburgh Steelers history. His achievements precede those of baseball star Jackie Robinson and Pittsburgh’s own basketball standout Chuck Cooper.
Ray Kemp was born April 7, 1907, in Cecil, about 20 miles from his future alma mater, Duquesne University. Upon graduation from Cecil High School in 1926, he worked in a local coal mine for a year prior to enrolling at Duquesne.
Kemp played tackle at Duquesne before moving onto the Steelers.
While playing for the Dukes, Kemp worked for the legendary coach Elmer Layden – one of Knute Rockne’s “Four Horsemen” of Notre Dame fame – and later NFL commissioner. Kemp was a starting tackle during his sophomore year and reportedly received honorable mention as a senior on some All-American teams.
After graduating from Duquesne in 1931, Kemp agreed to play for his friend and former Dukes player Art Rooney, who ran a local barnstorming semi-pro team called the J.P. Rooney’s. That team traveled across the country in search of football games to play.
The next year, in 1933, Rooney was awarded an NFL franchise, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, later known as the Steelers, were born. Kemp chose to continue to play for Rooney and, at that time, was one of only two Black players in the NFL.
The legacy
The Ivery-Kemp legacy is impressive and rich with tremendous athletes, football players and achievers.
“Growing up in Washington County and going to Fort Cherry, this is always something we talked about, were told about, stories about my uncle Raymond and, uh, of course, growing up here in Washington County, going to Fort Cherry,” Ivery said.
Stories about my uncle Raymond (Ray Ray), who was on Pitt’s 1976 national championship team along with Perry Kemp, who played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, among others.
“It has been special,” Ivery said. “Hearing stories about how we were connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, Uncle Raymond, was a pioneer, kind of like Jackie Robinson. The legacy with my uncles and other family members has just been amazing.”
Ivery’s cousins, Josh and Jeremy Kemp, were Fort Cherry stalwarts and Josh Kemp was a 1,000-point scorer and 1,000-yard rusher for the Rangers.
Perhaps the most overlooked of all is Perry’s father Harold, who was an all-conference running back, one of the best in Bentworth’s history and whose records stood for 20 to 30 years.
The family athletic history in Washington County and the region, along with its association with the Steelers, makes Ivery’s role in this year’s draft more significant.
Raymond Kemp, Ray Ray Kemp, Perry Kemp and Perry Ivery are all inductees of the Washington-Greene County Sports Hall of Fame.
“I love being one of the people bringing, planning and working toward the draft,” he said. “This is a huge undertaking, but it certainly should be a big boom for Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.
“It’s been amazing and incredible. This will be the biggest event that’s ever been held in the city of Pittsburgh but it’s not only going to be impacting the city. It’s regional and Washington County, Butler, Westmoreland counties and others will benefit. It’s going to impact everyone, from hotel rooms to events.
“It’s been incredible to see the planning process,” He continued. “The NFL puts a Super Bowl on every year, and this will be our Super Bowl. This is so fascinating to see how it all comes together from transportation to lodging to parking and to security for events. This will help our region moving forward and show we can host these events. So, if FIFA comes around in a couple years, we know we can put this event on. If one of the biggest brands in the world puts their stamp on your city and says you can host an event that we are thinking will bring up to anywhere from 500,000 to 800,000 people over a three-day span, it puts us in a pretty good position in the future to be a great travel destination.”