Stan Parrish, Tom Brady’s quarterbacks coach at Michigan, has passed away

Parrish was 75.

Stan Parrish, who served as a football coach for over 40 years and worked at the high school, college and NFL levels, has passed away at age 75. The University of Michigan, where he coached for six years between 1996 and 2001, announced Parrish’s death on Monday.

Parrish was born on September 20, 1946 in Cleveland and later played college football at Heidelberg University. While his career as a defensive back was short-lived, he found his calling as a coach quickly after graduation: in 1969, just a short time after receiving his bachelor’s degree, he started coaching at Windham High School.

After six years at the school he moved up the ranks and joined Purdue as a graduate assistant. After stops at Wabash, Marshall, Kansas State and Rutgers, he arrived at Michigan in 1996 — the same year as freshman quarterback Tom Brady.

Parrish served as Brady’s position coach throughout his time in Ann Arbor. When Brady left for the NFL in 2000, he was promoted to offense coordinator. After two years on the job, he too joined the pro level: Parrish spent two seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He later worked at Ball State, Siena Heights and Eastern Michigan, retiring from coaching after the latter’s 2013 season.