Huskers Thrilled John Parrella is ?Coming Home?

Parrella Named to Nebraska's Coaching Staff

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Randy York N-Sider

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Fourteen months ago, I wrote a blog announcing Mike Riley had been named Nebraska’s head football coach. My favorite, most succinct quote that became the last paragraph in that column came from John Parrella, a 1992 Husker captain who played for Riley in three of his eight NFL seasons in San Diego.

A stellar defensive tackle and Nebraska Football Hall of Fame inductee, Parrella gave me an eight-word answer to describe Riley: “Great man! Great coach! Great hire for Nebraska!” After consulting former Husker players and his defensive coordinator about Nebraska's tough-as-nails defensive tackle becoming the Huskers' defensive line coach, those same eight words now describe Parrella: “Great man! Great coach! Great hire for Nebraska!”

How do I know? Because Terry Connealy, a former teammate, fellow defensive tackle and a co-captain on Nebraska’s 1994 national championship team, told me. Charlie McBride, who coached both Parrella and Connealy, is equally enamored with Parrella’s hard-earned coaching credentials. Please count Will Shields among the chorus of strong believers, too, plus Kenny Wilhite, a Husker defensive back who played four years in the Canadian Football League and now serves as Nebraska Football’s Director of High School Relations.

“John Parrella's a good friend of mine. He’s a great guy, and I couldn’t be happier that he’s coming back to Nebraska to coach,” Connealy said. “This takes me back to the early ‘90s when we played together. I learned so much from John, including how you play your technique and how you read offensive linemen. I learned great work ethic from him. There wasn’t a guy that worked any harder than John did. I played with some great players who won national championships. They also had great work ethic. Some may have worked equally as hard as John, but John was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen.”

Talk About Tough: Parrella Gets His Finger Fixed, Then Finishes Scrimmage

Parrella was also “one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen,” Connealy said. “I remember a spring practice when I was a sophomore. John broke his little finger and the bone’s coming out the side of his hand. He runs into the locker room. The doctor puts the finger back in, tapes it up and John goes right back into the scrimmage for crying out loud (dramatized with follow-up laughter). With most guys trying to find a way out of spring practice, here’s a guy who doesn’t want to miss a play. The thought of not coming back into the scrimmage never even crossed John’s mind.

“He was such a great leader and truly led by example,” Connealy said. “John was vocal whenever he needed to be and let his actions speak for themselves. He hasn’t lived locally for a lot of years, but we’ve periodically touched base via text or the like. In fact, my son called me at the office and said it looked like John was coming back to Lincoln, so I shot him a quick text. I would imagine he's been pretty busy these past few days.”

Parrella never changes. “He’s a steady Eddie,” Connealy said. “The biggest compliment I can give him is ‘Boy, would I want him to coach my boys in the defensive line’ and if someone asked me that question, I would give them a resounding yes because he’ll do it right. With John, there won’t be any shortcuts, and we’re going to be proud of the way his players will represent us. This is just wonderful news. John teaches by example, and he knows what Nebraska football’s all about. I’m thrilled to have him come home.” 

Legendary McBride Raves about John Parrella as a Player and as a Coach

McBride was Nebraska’s highly respected defensive coordinator and Parrella’s defensive line coach at Nebraska. “I’d forgotten that Mike Riley coached John at the San Diego Chargers when I called to recommend him as a candidate for the defensive line job,” McBride told me. “John was good enough to play in the NFL for 12 years and one of the greatest kids you could ever coach in college. He has everything it takes and can do whatever you need. He can teach, motivate and recruit because he’s done it all. He might have recruited half the class at Northern Michigan.

“I knew John would be every bit as great a coach as he was a player,” McBride said. “I went to California to see him coach a small high school that was just beginning its program. If you want to know how hard that is, try it sometime. Like everyone else, they loved John, listened to him and learned from him. They hated to see him leave. Northern Michigan probably feels the same way. They want what he knows and they know what he can teach.

“It was a privilege to coach a guy like John,” McBride said. “I remember (Wisconsin head coach) Paul Chryst telling me that everything he knew about offense, he learned from Mike Riley. I’d like to think that John learned a lot about defense from me, but I think he has more going for him than that, plus he’ll probably be a lot calmer than I was. He really is a great hire. With John, Mike Riley is getting the full Nebraska deal.

“John’s a great family man, too,” McBride said. “He and his wife have four sons and then they adopted a little girl. John told me that she kind of runs the show. They’re a great family and they’ll fit right in because they’re almost all the way home now. That’s a great thing for them and a great thing for the entire state of Nebraska.”

Shields Envisions Great Expectations; Parrella’s Energy Inspires NU's Wilhite

Shields has known Parrella, tracing back to their joint playing days. “I’m proud that we’ve hired an alum who can step in and help our Blackshirts achieve greatness,” Shields said. “Expectations are high, and I know that John will be great at molding young minds and young men and get them ready to play at the highest level.”

Wilhite agrees. “John will bring high energy to everything he does,” said Wilhite who also played on the same 1992 Husker team with Parrella. “John will demand a lot from his players, but they’ll become better players because of his leadership. Being a former walk-on, who earned his way to wearing a Blackshirt, John will be able to tell our players what can be accomplished by working hard in all aspects of being a Husker, whether that’s on the practice field, in the weight room or during the off-season program. He’s a great fit for what we need and a real asset for our staff.”

Parrella (pictured above at a Nebraska press conference) is a Nebraska native who represents the Huskers’ mythical tradition in every meaningful way. Earning his stripes through the school of hard knocks, relentless effort and positive leadership, the Grand Island Central Catholic graduate originally pledged to Colorado. When the Buffs backed off, Parrella opted to walk on at Nebraska, where he earned first-team All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1992.

John Parrella’s NFL Career Parallels His Steady Rise to Nebraska's Very Top

Drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Parrella did not start in his 1993 NFL rookie season and only started one game in each of his next two seasons in San Diego. In 1996, Parrella’s passion paid off. He started nine 1996 games and played in all 16 regular-season games for the Chargers. From 1997 to 2001, Parrella started every San Diego game, then spent his final three seasons in Oakland, where he became a Super Bowl starter (see Raiders' picture above). Overall, Parrella's NFL production includes 128 starts in 148 games played and 400 total tackles, plus 26.5 sacks.

Parrella's background is varied and industrious, and his NFL career parallels his steady rise to Nebraska's very top. He was creative and visionary enough to launch the Christian Valley High School football program in Dublin, Calif., then went on to coach one year at Chabot College in Northern California. Parrella spent his last two seasons at Northern Michigan. “Players love John. He’s been up front with everyone everywhere he’s been,” McBride said. “This is John’s dream job and dream place to live. Coming to Lincoln right before spring practice is good timing, and I'd be willing to bet that Husker fans everywhere are glad to see him come home.”

I second that emotion. Parrella, after all, wore a Blackshirt, was voted a captain and pivotal to three Husker Big Eight title teams. Whether you're a player, coach or fan, you're inclined to embrace the way Parrella thinks, trains, competes and rallies those around him to be the absolute best they can be, individually and collectively. Circle Saturday, April 16, 2016, on your calendar and take time to buy your Red-White Spring Game tickets right here. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

Think about it and ask this question: Is there any better way to welcome John Parrella home than showing traditional Nebraska loyality on his first Big Red gameday in almost a quarter-century? This walk-on already knows there's no place like Nebraska, but it's always nice to remind him.

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