Late NK football coach Parrish honored at celebration of life

Published 1:30 am Monday, March 2, 2026

North Kitsap High School hosted a celebration of life ceremony Feb. 28 to remember and honor former Viking football head coach Larry Parrish, who died Dec. 22.

Parrish coached NK for 32 seasons and compiled a record of 210-149-4, before stepping down at the end of the 2004 season. He was later elected to the Washington State Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023. Only former Bremerton head coach Chuck Semancik has more football wins (211) in West Sound history than Parrish.

“Larry Parrish is a pillar of this community, and it’s a time in which we get to remember and reflect,” current North Kitsap wide receivers coach Peter Blue said.

Craig Parrish, son of Larry, spoke on how NK used to be a school that teams did not want to play, solely for Parrish’s hard-nosed nature when it came to coaching. He implemented a mantra for his players whenever football season came around that stated, “If you’re not early, you’re late.”

Parrish largely expected the same in the classroom. He served as a math teacher at North Kitsap High School for 40 years, allowing him to cross paths with thousands of different people throughout the span of his life.

“He was greatly influenced by what he did and his approach to teaching and coaching and everything,” Craig Parrish said.

Parrish had a large influence on the community as well, with Blue citing Parrish’s many connections throughout Poulsbo, describing him as a “person of peace,” which, per Blue, is someone who “can connect you with all different kinds of people and groups because they have given all that they have accomplished.”

“In my 15 years of living here in Poulsbo, I can always make a connection with someone who grew up here, because I can just mention the name Jerry Parrish,” Blue said.