DaLawn Parrish steps down as head coach at Wise (Maryland)
As Henry A. Wise High started its pursuit of the Maryland Class 4A state football title in late fall, there were whispers that longtime coach DaLawn Parrish was considering stepping down. After reaching the championship mountain top, Parrish has decided to end his historic run at the Prince George’s County school.
In 17 seasons, Parrish guided the Pumas to six 4A state titles and 11 Prince George’s County 4A championships. Wise defeated Broadneck, 21-0, in the 4A final at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in early December, in what would be Parrish’s final game.
Parrish, who went 179-36, started the Wise program in 2006.
“It feels like I’ve been doing this from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. as long as I can remember,” Parrish said to the Washington Post. “My oldest daughter is 18, and she grew up with me on that type of schedule. I feel like I need to be with my family more.”
Henry A. Wise football coach DaLawn Parrish (center) acknowledges the fans after winning the Maryland Class 4A state title at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium early last month. After winning six state championships in 17 seasons at Wise, Parrish has stepped down. (Photo courtesy of Wise Athletics)
A former standout at defensive back at Wake Forest University and Howard High (Md.), Parrish got his first head coaching opportunity at DuVal in 2004. He went 2-17.
Wise, the newest high school in talent-rich Prince George’s County, tapped the then-29-year old Parrish to steward the football program. In 2009, the Pumas reached their first 4A state final - a 17-16 loss to Old Mill.
Wise lost in the 2011 final (6-0 to Urbana) before breaking through in 2012 (defeated Quince Orchard, 12-7). The Pumas won the crown in 2015, starting one of the most impressive runs in state public football history.
Wise claimed four 4A titles in five seasons, including a 43-game winning streak. The Upper Marlboro, Md. school didn’t lose to a Prince George’s County opponent for nearly eight years.
Parrish, whose coaching career started as a grad assistant at Rutgers, followed by assistant stops at Howard and Wilde Lake high schools in his native Howard County, established a level of excellence at Wise never seen before in Prince George’s County and Maryland high school football.
His six titles are third-most all-time in Maryland public football history.
“I wanted to have a program with established morals and values that could mold players into men of character and responsibility,” Parrish said to the Washington Post. “I wanted to provide structure year-round. I wanted a total program commitment in an old-school way.”
Parrish, who’s 181-53 in 19 seasons, admitted he’s grown frustrated the last few years.
“It started to feel like I was just trying to hold things together,” said Parrish. “Everything was changing, but the one constant was football and winning. I think some of the morals and values and commitment that it takes to get there was lost. It wasn’t the same. ... I was always fighting, either with the people up top to get things in order or just trying to maintain a culture. It was tough, and my patience was running thin.”
Parrish, who recently turned 47, said he would like to return to the sidelines in the near future.
“I’m not done,” he said. “It’s to be continued. But the next situation I put myself into has to allow me a better balance between my family and football.”
