Teacher first, coach second': Remembering Coach Stan Parrish

First published in The Bachelor, April 8, 2022.

BENJAMIN BULLOCK '23 | STAFF WRITER • Last Sunday night, former Wabash Football Head Coach Stan Parrish passed away aged 75. One of the Little Giants’ most famous and successful coaches of all time, Parrish led Wabash to two unbeaten seasons and a remarkable 42-3-1 record.

Stan Parrish passed away aged 75.

Born in Ohio in 1946, Parrish served as head coach at Windham High School and assistant at Purdue before joining the Wabash staff in 1977. Parrish worked alongside the late Frank Navarro for one year before accepting the head coach position in 1978.

Parrish got off to a flying start. In both of his first two years he led Wabash to 8-1 seasons, including 11-3 and 16-13 victories over DePauw in 1978 and 1979 respectively. Then, in 1980, Parrish scored his first unbeaten season, his team tying 22-22 with DePauw on the final day to go 8-0-1 on the season.

“The impact Coach Parrish had on my life was outstanding,” said Daryl Johnson ’82, Wabash’s all-time leading rusher and all-time highest scorer. “Stan never discriminated or devalued you in any sort of way. He was not outwardly compassionate with his players, but you always knew he cared about the well-being and positive outcomes for all the young men who played for him. He was a winner.”

Over his five-year tenure, Parrish led arguably one of the strongest teams in Wabash Football history. He coached seven members of the Wabash Athletics Hall of Fame, including Johnson, Bill Cannon ’79, and Mel Gore ’81. He also recruited and coached Pete Metzelaars ‘82, the tight end from Michigan who went on to play professionally for the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills.

“We’ve been blessed at Wabash with a series of outstanding football coaches in recent years,” said longtime Wabash Athletics supporter Rem Johnston ’55. “Frank Navarro put us on the national stage. Stan Parrish followed with a record of 42-3-1 over a 5-year span, highlighted with an enormous win over Dayton, his personal favorite win.”

The game against Dayton in October 1982 was perhaps the most difficult of Parrish’s Wabash career. Billed as the Little Giants’ toughest matchup of the year, Wabash headed into the game 7-0 on the season and hungry to earn another unbeaten campaign. But the odds were stacked against Parrish’s side; Dayton were arguably one of the nation’s best Division III teams in 1982 and were themselves coached by a legend of the college game, Mike Kelly.

“As a team, we never really worried too much about the opposition,” said Parrish’s star quarterback David Broecker ’83. “Instead, we focused on making ourselves the best we could be. We practiced to a level of perfection and that really put Wabash on the map as a top football program.”

With 2:30 remaining, the Little Giants were down 7-13. But, led by Broecker, Coach Parrish orchestrated a miraculous final drive that ended when Broecker rushed the ball over the goal line with 25 seconds left on the clock. Wabash won 14-13, the first and only time the Little Giants have defeated Dayton.

“Coach Parrish respected the mission of Wabash and knew that we were all smart kids, so for him coaching was about teaching,” said Broecker. “He took it as a challenge to get his staff, Coach Carlson and the Deal brothers, to prepare us like it would be going to class every day, with the test every Saturday.”

After Wabash, Parrish went on to hold coaching positions across the country at both the college and professional levels. In 1996, Parrish joined the coaching ranks at the University of Michigan. His tenure at Ann Arbor lasted six years, including serving as offensive coordinator in 2000 and 2001. He also served as quarterback coach, the role in which he tutored future stars Tom Brady and Brian Griese.

Coach Stan Parrish on the sidelines for Wabash.

After Michigan, Parrish worked as quarterback coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where, in 2002, he mentored Brad Johnson to the Bucs’ first ever Super Bowl title. He went on to coach at Ball State, Siena Heights, and Eastern Michigan before retiring in 2013.

Coach Parrish’s career was successful and storied, but nowhere does his legacy live on quite as deeply as at Wabash.

“Coach Parrish will be fondly remembered as a player’s coach who wanted the best of the person, both on and off the field,” added Broecker. “He was a teacher first, coach second. He held everyone accountable for their actions towards the success of the team, and these lessons continue to influence me to this day.”