Del Oro coach reflects on Super Bowl experience as former team, coach square off

Perhaps the most iconic scene in sports comes at the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl. Two weeks of anticipation, preparation and butterflies in the pits of the stomachs of players and fans alike is simultaneously released as the ball flies through the air, seemingly guided by the flashbulbs of tens of thousands of cameras. Nobody knows that feeling better than Josh Parry of Loomis. "I can't even explain to you what goes through your body and what it feels like on the first kickoff. I'll never forget being out there," Parry said as he recalled his Super Bowl experience. "I was on the kickoff return on the opening kickoff. The flashes going off, it just seems like time stops. It's pretty special." Parry had a three-year career in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. During his tenure as an Eagle, Parry started 15 games as a fullback in Andy Reid's dynamic offense that included stars like Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens and Brian Westbrook. Parry was the starting fullback for Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX against the New England Patriots in Jacksonville, Florida. Parry had one reception for two yards in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 loss to the Patriots. Although his team wasn't on the winning end, Parry's memories of that day have stuck with him for life. "You really take it all in when you step on the field. You see your family in the stands and your wife, your mom and your dad, all the people that are close to you that supported you through the tough times," Parry said. "It's such a rare experience. Everybody's watching this, the biggest game of the year, and you get a chance to play in it. It was like a surreal moment." Every year, the Super Bowl serves as a reminder for Parry as he reflects on it, but this year's matchup is extra special, as his former team takes on his former coach Sunday. Although he is torn, Parry says he will be pulling for his former coach and the Kansas City Chiefs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. "I've gotta pull for my former coach. He's a special guy and he basically has the same staff there in Kansas City that I played for," Parry said. "There's a lot of the guys I know on that staff like Greg Lewis, Tom Melvin." These days, Parry has exchanged his helmet and shoulder pads for a clipboard and whistle as he serves as offensive coordinator for the Del Oro High School varsity football team. Just because his playing days are behind him doesn't mean the influence from Coach Reid has left him. Parry recalled a certain exchange between he and Reid during the 2004-05 Divisional Playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings that has stuck with him. "I caught a pass in the flat in the second quarter and picked up about an eight-yard gain or something, but I ended up laying the ball on the ground and it went to review," Parry said. "The whole time, the camera was on me. While they are reviewing, Andy walks over to me and says, 'How you're gonna respond?' " "You know, so it's little moments like that where instead of getting on you, he's trying to find a way to get you to respond in a way that he knows that you can," Parry said. "I still carry it with my kids today. There's gonna be dark waters, there's gonna be ups and downs. It's all about how you respond. His coaching style has influenced how I approach coaching." His decision on who to cheer for Sunday was difficult, as he still has friends in the Philadelphia organization. "It's funny because the coaching staff I played for is in Kansas City, but the front office is still the same in Philly," Parry said. "Everyone from the secretary and the lunch people to the front office, I know both sides, all those guys. I remember Howie Roseman picking me up in the shuttle ... as I was coming in for training camp. Now he's the general manager. It's pretty special to watch." No matter what happens Sunday in Arizona, Parry will have a friend getting sized for a Super Bowl ring soon.