On March 13 of this year, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced he was returning for his 23rd year of professional football.
This was a reversal of his earlier decision to retire.
Brady will try to add an eighth world title to his resume in 2022, further cementing his status as the greatest NFL quarterback in history.
While Brady is gearing up for another run of greatness, the man who helped him become what he is today passed away on Sunday.
Stan Parrish, who coached Brady while the duo was at the University of Michigan, passed away at the age of 75 on April 3.
Michigan Football is saddened by the passing of Stan Parrish, the program's former QB coach (1996-99) and offensive coordinator (2000-01). Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and all of the players that Stan mentored during his career.
Rest in Peace 🙏 pic.twitter.com/c9o9jwYQA2
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 4, 2022
Parrish was an Ohio native who began his coaching career in the state.
Quarterback Mentor
Stan Parrish was born in 1946 in Cleveland.
After playing high school football at Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights, Ohio, Parrish attended Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio where he played defensive back.
Parrish then began his coaching career at Windham High School in Windham, Ohio where he was an assistant, then the head coach of the program, for six years.
He then spent the next several years at Purdue University and Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
Wabash Football mourns the loss of former Little Giant head coach Stan Parrish, 1946-2022. #RIP #SomeLittleGiant pic.twitter.com/i2aBMdDnGk
— Wabash College Football (@WabashFB) April 4, 2022
After leaving Wabash, Parrish spent the next decade as the head coach at Marshall University and then Kansas State before becoming the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Rutgers.
In 1996, Parrish left Rutgers to become the quarterbacks coach at Michigan.
Tutoring Brady
Brady and Parrish met as the future GOAT was beginning his second year with the Wolverines.
Brady was originally buried on the quarterback depth chart, well behind future NFL player Brian Griese.
With Griese as the starter in 1997, the Wolverines finished undefeated and beat Ryan Leaf and Washington State for the 1998 Rose Bowl.
Stan Parrish passed away yesterday. It was my pleasure to work with him and call him a friend. He was both QB Coach and OC 1996-2001 at the University of Michigan. RIP pic.twitter.com/3kpbunDpyu
— paul schmidt (@1997ROSEBOWL) April 5, 2022
Meanwhile, Parrish continued to work with Brady and helped him rise to the number two spot on the depth chart.
In 1998, Brady had to compete with Drew Henson who was a two-sport star.
Ultimately, Brady got the nod over Henson and started in ‘98.
That season, under Parrish’s tutelage, Brady completed 200 passes for 2,427 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Brady also set program records for pass attempts (323) and completions during a season.
Michigan went 10-3 in ‘98 and defeated Auburn in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
In 1999, Brady and Henson split time as the starter for the first seven weeks of the season as Parrish helped both correct flaws in their mechanics.
Then, Brady started the remainder of the year and led the Wolverines to several comeback victories, earning him the moniker “Comeback Kid.”
1⃣9⃣ hours until The Game. 19 years ago, in 1999, Michigan battled back to a 24-17 win to keep OSU from bowl eligibility.
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to complete the Wolverines' comeback. pic.twitter.com/XeJCcaeTDb
— Blade Sports (@toledosports) November 23, 2018
He would complete 180 passes for 2,217 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six picks for the season.
The ‘99 Michigan team went 10-2 and beat Alabama by one point in the 2000 Orange Bowl.
Brady would end his Michigan career with a 20-5 record and would rank fifth in program history in touchdown passes with 35.
He would also rank third in attempts and completions and fourth in yards and completion percentage.
Parrish Moves On
Parrish remained at Michigan after Brady left and was elevated to the offensive coordinator position in 2000.
In 2002, Parrish left Michigan to spend two years with Tampa Bay where he mentored Brad Johnson, Rob Johnson, and Shaun King as the Bucs eventually won Super Bowl XXXVII against the Raiders.
He then coached for six years at Ball State, two at Siena Heights University in Michigan as the quarterbacks coach, and then finished his coaching career at Eastern Michigan University in 2013.
I have so much love and respect for this man. Our relationship is the only reason I attended Ball State University. One of the first coaches to offer me a scholarship. He believed in me. Rest in paradise Coach Stan Parrish. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/dLgvR9PEgq
— Travis Freeman (@TRAV_WORLD) April 4, 2022
Parrish’s overall record as a head coach was 64-62-3.
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