Summit assistant coach loses battle, inspires many

A week ago, Summit High School lost one of its assistant football coaches, Andre Parris. He had battled a form of bone cancer, chondrosarcoma, for 15 years.

Parris was a loving husband and father, but many who knew him say he felt most at home under the lights at Summit.

Players and coaches alike describe him as a fighter and an inspiration.

“It’s always in our minds and in our hearts,” said Summit junior Jason Garcia.

“You miss the voice, you miss that presence,” said Head Coach Joseph Padill.

Parris was a presence felt throughout the school.

“His smile — he’d always brighten the mood of everyone’s day when he’d come out here down on the field and get us to laugh,” said junior Cam McCormick.

It wasn’t always about the laughs. Ut was about learning and growing.

“He was a geniune guy,” Padilla said. “When he told you something, you know he meant it from his heart, good or bad.”

Between the good and the bad, he was quietly battling a deadly disease.

“He went through chemo that morning, and then he’s out at practice. Ad you never would have known,” Padilla recalled.

He was teaching both coaches and players the lessons you can’t pick up in a playbook.

“Teaching me stuff about life, and how I should take advantage of what I have right now,” Garcia said.

“Just to never give up and keep pushing, no matter how hard the situation is,” McCormick said.

Coach Parris leaves behind a wife and three children, and because of his condition, he was never able to get life insurance.

His inspirational personality left an undeniable mark.

“We’re coming out here Friday nights because we want to win. We want to go all the way for him,” McCormick said.

“Every game, you miss him,” Padilla said.

His last week was spent in hospice. Floods of text messages, gifts and visitors passed through the doors to say their goodbyes.

“You’re never 100 percent ready for it,” Padilla said. “Once we gave the news, we gave the kids time to process and then, ‘Okay, now it’s time to go to work.'”

Parris would have never wanted them to dwell.

“He would have wanted us: ‘Okay, go back to work, let’s get back to practice. Forget about all this,'” Padilla said.

So they did — and defeated Bend High 40-13 last week.

“The kids always knew that he believed in them,” Padilla said.

“We’re doing it again for him,” Garcia said.”This whole season is for him right now.”

Friday night the Summit boys will be playing under these lights against North Salem.

Special T-shirts will be sold at school and at the game. All proceeds will go to the Parris family.

You can also visit http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/the-parris-family-relief-fund/251998