Bordow: No better time for Mountain View to honor Parker

The first time I saw Jesse Parker, I thought he was a lunatic.

It was the late 1970s and Parker was in full roar at Mesa Mountain View, grabbing players’ face masks, berating officials and marching onto the field after every play to yell at somebody.

His players must hate him, I thought.

More than a decade later, for a story I was working on, I talked to several of Parker's former players. They said they loved and respected their coach. Their common takeaway: Parker didn’t just win football games and state championships. Behind that scowl and spittle was a man who cared deeply about the kind of men his players would grow up to be.

I sat down with Parker at his Mesa home and discovered he was an unabashed liberal who was just as interested in talking politics and history – he was an accomplished Advanced Placement history teacher – as he was offensive and defensive schemes.

My opinion – and appreciation – of him changed.

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Knowing Parker as I do, I was reluctant to ask about his health Monday. I had heard over the weekend that he’s dealing with a serious medical condition. But I knew he wouldn’t want to talk about it. Even now, at the age of 77, Parker is still very much a reflection of his upbringing in rural, Ada, Okla. He's a tough, hard-nosed man who will never complain or seek sympathy.

So, I asked about Mountain View naming its football field after him during the school’s season opener against Surprise Valley Vista on Friday. Parker told me he was honored, but worried that his memory might not be up for the occasion.

“It’s very difficult to remember all the kids that played for me, and it’s very embarrassing when I’m confronted with that problem,” he said.

We talked about his first victory at Mountain View – an 8-7 victory over Phoenix Shadow Mountain in 1976 – and how the school, still building its facilities, had to play its games at Mesa High or Mesa Westwood that year.

Parker even recalled the specifics of that first win 40 years ago.

“We beat them on a blocked punt,” he said. “I can still see the kid blocking the punt.”

Finally, after several minutes, I asked him.

How are you feeling?

“I’ve battled skin cancer for, oh, gosh, close to 15 years,” Parker replied. “Squamous cell skin cancer. I’ve had over 40 operations on my face. It’s been a carving block for mole surgeons. It’s been a very difficult battle in that regard. Now, it’s become a little more serious. I’m going to have to go through a little more difficult treatment.”

What kind, I asked?

“The last thing I want is anybody feeling sorry for me,” Parker said. “I prefer that it just be noted as a battle with squamous cell cancer that has now entered the interior of my body.”

I tried one more time.

Is it life threatening?

“You can get all sorts of opinions,” he said. “I’ve coached long enough and believed long enough that people are tougher than they think they are. Some (doctors) will tell me this is threatening, others say you can do it. Take your pick."

“To me, every individual is very, very, very different. Look, I’m the best judge of what’s happening with my body. I’ll continue to work out, I’ll continue to do a lot of reading, things like that. … We all have our battles, you know.”

Parker coached at Mountain View from 1976 to 1994. He won four state titles (1978, 1983, 1986, 1993) and was state runner-up three times. (He won the 1975 Class 5A state championship at Phoenix Camelback before taking the Mountain View job.)

No one is more deserving to have a field named in their honor.

“There was never a year where we said, ‘If we play well, we’ll make the playoffs,’ ” Parker recalled. “It was always, ‘Hey, we’re going to win state.’ That separates you right there. I was the luckiest guy in the world to be there.”

No, Jesse, Mountain View was lucky to have you.

Reach Bordow at scott.bordow@arizonarepublic.com and 602-448-8716. Follow him at Twitter.com/sBordow.