End of an era: Bristol-Plymouth football coach retires after 40 years with program
TAUNTON— After 17 seasons, the John Parris era has come to a close for Bristol-Plymouth football.
Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School superintendent Alexandre Magalhaes announced in a press release Thursday that Parris had retired from the role after nearly three decades of coaching for the Craftsmen.
"I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Coach Parris for his unwavering dedication to B-P’s athletic department," Magalhaes stated in the press release. “His leadership has not only shaped our teams but also inspired countless students. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement."
Parris first assumed the role of head football coach in 2008, succeeding MHSFCA Hall of Famer Bill Moan after he led the Craftsmen from 1979-2007. Parris, who was only the third head coach in program history, played for Moan while he was in high school and Moan was an assistant coach before going on to serve as an assistant under Moan from 1994-2007.
"(Moan's) truly a mentor," Parris told the Gazette in 2022. "He’s truly a man I have immense respect for as a person, as a coach, as a dad, grandad and husband, he’s just an amazing human being."
A 1978 graduate of Bristol-Plymouth, Parris played cornerback and outside linebacker during a four-year high school football career before going onto the University of Massachusetts to study Fundamentals of Occupational Education. After returning to his alma mater as an assistant football coach in 1994, he took over the position of head football coach in 2008 and later served as athletic director from 2011-2017 as well as junior varsity boys basketball coach from 2018-2020.
"John Parris has been a fixture in the Bristol-Plymouth football program for 40 years as a player and coach," Craftsmen assistant coach Roger Saraiva said. "He has had a major impact on countless student-athletes. He will be missed."
"Not only did he teach me to be a leader on the field but taught me to be a leader in life," 2013 B-P graduate and two-year football captain Adam Mota said. "I am forever grateful for that experience with him."
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During his tenure, B-P captured the Mayflower Athletic Conference Large title in 2012 and fell just short of another in 2022 after the Craftsmen embarked on a six-game winning streak led largely by the efforts of senior running back and 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Football Player of the Year Ryan Barnes.
In his final season, Parris led a squad consisting largely of underclassmen to a 3-8 record, including a 21-0 shutout of Nantucket and a 20-18 overtime win over South Shore Tech. In B-P's Thanksgiving Eve matchup with Blue Hills, the Craftsmen held their own against the MAC Large champions for much of the game before ultimately falling 22-6. Still, though, it was an effort that left Parris confident for the future of the program.
"I think we raised a lot of eyebrows tonight," Parris told the Gazette after the game. "The (Mayflower) League next year better be ready."
Bristol-Plymouth will now look for just its fourth head coach in the program's over 50 year history.
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Bristol-Plymouth football coach John Parris retires after 17 seasons
