Former Michigan State head football coach George Perles is ready to get back on the playing field, this time as a gubernatorial candidate.
The 74-year-old Michigan State University trustee said Tuesday he may run for governor in 2010. He wants to lower business taxes and take other steps to bring more businesses and jobs to Michigan, which is struggling economically.
If he ran, Perles would face Lt. Gov. John Cherry and others in a Democratic primary. Gov. Jennifer Granholm can't run again in 2010 because of term limits.
Perles, who lives in Ingham County's Meridian Township, said being governor would be "a chance to help a lot of people."
Perles coached Michigan State from 1983-94, leading the Spartans to two Big Ten titles and seven bowl appearances including a Rose Bowl victory in 1988. He is CEO of the Motor City Bowl, an annual postseason college football game in Detroit.
The Detroit native was elected to the Michigan State Board of Trustees in 2006 in his first run for public office.