English teacher Parker Salowich made the decision to leave his head coaching position at Salem High School and will be back at North Farmington next season. For three years Salowich was the head football coach at Salem. Year in and year out he worked for the school to make the football program the best it could be, until this year that is. Current head coach, Todd Schultz will still remain at his position, along with all the other coordinators and staff.
It all began in a meeting Salowich had with his Defensive Coordinator at Salem. They were looking at the roster for next season, and Salowich realized that he could no longer coach there. "There were 120 names on the board and I didn’t know 85 of them," he said. "As a head coach that shouldn’t happen, and that was one of the main reasons I decided to leave."
There were many reasons for why Salowich decided to leave. He coached at a school he did not teach at and spent hours away from his family working on the depth chart, watching tape of his team, all while still grading English papers for his job at North.
Salowich has a strong presence on the football field. In 2005, he served as NF’s Varsity football offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to Todd Schultz. Salowich had a high-powered offense led by stand out running back Mark Moundros, who now plays football at the University of Michigan.
"We’ve been friends for a very long time, [Salowich and I]" Schultz said. "I was on his interview committee when he was hired by the district, and before I was the head coach, we served on Rich Burrell’s, a former head coach, staff together."
When Schultz became the Varsity head coach, he brought Salowich up to the top level with him.
The 2005 Raiders, who went 7-3 in the regular season, made it to the State Playoffs only to lose to Walled Lake Central in the first round. When the season was over, Salowich announced he would not be back as a coach next season.
In 2006, although he was still an English teacher at NF, Salowich became the Varsity football head coach at Salem High School in Canton.
"I had always wanted to be a head coach," Salowich said. "The opportunity presented itself, and I took it."
"Coaching there and working here put so much stress on my teaching," Salowich said. "Most coaches look at coaching as a full time job, and during the season it was common for me to spend about 40 hours a week on football."
Over the past three years, while Salowich was coaching at Salem, the NF football program has had three straight loosing seasons. Now, Salowich will bring his intensity and love of the game to the NF sideline, once again and instill it in his players.
"I love North Farmington," said Salowich. "There is a great heritage here and you are part of the fabric for the community. In Salem, they try to have that sense of family, but it’s fake. Here, everyone has a sense of tradition."
Salowich has a plethora of experience under his belt. It is what makes up his personality and style. He played football in high school, coached at NF for four years, and was the head coach at Salem for three.
"It’s his unorthodox personality that makes him so well-known," fellow English teacher and friend Kevin Ozar said. "He possesses a method of teaching and communication with the students that is rarely seen, especially at NF."
"It’s good to be consistent as a coach," he said. "I have great expectations and I put a lot of effort into coaching. I expect the same effort to be returned by the kids on the field."
Coaching has also really influenced Salowich’s teaching style. He once had a parent tell him that he coaches English. His style of teaching football and teaching English are very similar.
"He brings the same intensity to the classroom that he does to the playing field," said Schultz.
Salowich really wants kids to excel, not just in the classroom but also on the football field."
"Salowich is a very honest guy," Ozar said. "It’s his ability to truly dedicate himself to the task at hand that makes him such a good teacher and coach."
Schultz is very glad to have Salowich back on the NF sideline. They have coached together and been friends for a very long time.
"Salowich and I share everything, so I knew of the challenges he was having at Salem," Schultz said. "Salem’s loss is our gain."
"He understands what we are about," Schultz said. "We want to provide our players with a learning experience and Salowich can bring that to the table. It will be great having him aboard again."
Salowich’s new coaching position is still up in the air. Many meetings between he and Schultz’s coaching staff are taking place to define his position.
"I’ve had the opportunity to coach with a lot of people," Schultz said. "Some good, some not so good, but it was because they couldn’t teach the game. Salowich is a man who can do that, and it is what makes him one of the best coaches around."
