The Mancos school board accepted the resignation of high school football coach Bill Parsons during its meeting on Monday evening.
For the past two seasons, Parsons has shared coaching duties with Josh Gardner, Mancos’ secondary physical education and health instructor.
“I just thought it was time to step down,” Parsons said in a phone interview on Monday night. “I just thought it was a good time after we were in the playoffs this year to step aside and let somebody else have their chance at it.”
Parsons started in Mancos in 2010 as an AmeriCorps member, leading the Check & Connect program and serving as the middle school head football coach and high school assistant during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
After his contract was up, Parsons had what he called a “Jimmy Buffett moment,” and he moved to Belize. He enjoyed the laid-back lifestyle for 20 months, but when word of an opening back in Mancos made its way to Placencia, Parsons responded.
“I wouldn’t have left Belize unless it was somewhere I really liked,” he said.”
And so he returned to Mancos Re-6 in 2013, this time as a special education teacher.
He also jumped right back into coaching, serving as an assistant during the 2013 season before taking the lead alongside Gardner for the 2014 season, going 2-7.
In 2015, Parsons and Gardner led the Blue Jays to their first winning record since 2010, going 6-4 and making the 8-man football playoffs.
Parsons mentioned the 2015 playoffs as one of the highlights during his time as coach, but he said that watching his athletes grow up has been the most rewarding aspect.
“I’ve had most of these guys since they were in the sixth grade, and they’ve come along really well,” he said. “Just to watch those kids come up from middle school that I had when I first got here. Seeing how much they’ve improved, how much they’ve learned and how they became winners over the last few years.”
Sophomores Nic and Griff Huver started playing football for Parsons in 2011 when they were in the sixth grade. Then, after Parsons returned to Mancos, he coached them during their freshman and sophomore seasons.
“One thing I’ll always remember is his stories,” said Nic. “He has so many stories to tell, no matter what time, it would always fit in. If it was during school, if it was during practice, he would always have a story to tell.”
Parsons and Gardner both had college careers that tie them to football history, and their willingness to share their lives was documented in October.
But more than jokes or stories of football glory days – Parsons was a calming force for the Blue Jays and brought a sense of family to the program.
“He brought that camaraderie, that teamwork, that family,” said athletic director Heath Showalter. “He’s that coach, that soft place to fall and talk to, and he’ll bend over backwards for anybody.”
“He tells me everything; I tell him everything,” said Griff. “I feel like he is someone I look up to and can relate to in my life, and if I need to tell him something I can.”
Senior Andrew Plunkett – who played under Parsons for two years in middle school and then three seasons in high school – shares similar feelings.
“He’s just a funny guy and he always has something great to say,” said Plunkett. “He was inspiring in the locker room before a game when he would come in and talk to us. He was encouraging to everybody in practice, and he’s just a great overall guy. I was happy to play for him.”
Although Parsons is stepping down from coaching, he’ll still be around, connecting with Mancos students.
He plans to continue leading the High School Exceptional Student Services and teach a strength and conditioning class.
But without football responsibilities, he intends to spend his free time hiking, biking and exploring the outdoors.
Mancos has yet to name a head coach for the upcoming season, but Showalter said that he expects Gardner to continue to be involved in the program.
And on Monday, superintendent Brian Hanson said that Adam Priestley would likely return as head coach.
Priestley, Mancos’ secondary principal, was the Blue Jays head coach in 2013.