Gary Parrish

Bryce Alderton

A quarterback throws a Hail Mary down the field, praying the timing

is just right between the ball and the receiver’s hands to secure the

reception.

While Gary Parrish -- a former quarterback from Newport Harbor

High and tight end for the University of Arizona -- no longer takes

snaps from under center or runs a 10-yard out as a tight end, the

words “prayer” and “devoted” pop up several times when describing his

lifestyle.

Along with wife Audrey, Gary, a father of five with a sixth child

due in November, has aspirations to form an accredited Bible school

in Maui, where he has lived for the past seven years since moving

from Tucson, Ariz.

The Parrish family plays host to weekly Bible study groups in

their two-story home, seeking to maintain a community of believers

who can meet and live life together.

“It is a non-denominational meeting in our home,” Parrish said.

“The Bible teaches throughout that the church is not a building, but

rather is relational-based. We want to grow to the point where we are

meeting outside on our basketball courts.”

Gary and Audrey are also writing a book titled “Blown Away” in

which they analyze the Book of Revelations from a “different point of

view.”

“It is important not to be blown away by every doctrine and

teaching that is popular,” Parrish said. “We’re going against the

popular opinion.”

No matter the odds -- or opinion -- Parrish, 39, has persevered,

using the Bible as a roadmap.

After what he described as a “nightmare senior season” at Harbor

in 1980, when Parrish had reconstructive surgery on his throwing

(right) shoulder to treat bursitis -- an inflammation of tiny,

fluid-filled sac that cushion pressure points between bones and

tendons or muscles -- he turned to the Bible for direction.

“I found something to turn to when things got bad,” he said. “I

met up with someone in my home church and was emotionally and

mentally restored from the devastation of not getting recruited. I

knew I would play again.”

The surgery forced Parrish to miss half his senior season at

Newport.

His parents divorced when he was 5 and Parrish lived with his

mother, Carolyn, who re-married. Parrish remembers his father, Paul,

enjoyed football and used that interest as a guiding force.

“Subconsciously, I had a need met through football,” Parrish said.

“It took the place of a father, which I didn’t have. That need was

later met through the Bible studies.”

With a foundation in place, Parrish spent the next two years at

Golden West College, where he learned to play tight end.

“The coaches encouraged me to play tight end, saying I would get a

scholarship,” Parrish said. “They said 30 players had gotten

scholarships the year before and that I was better than they were.”

From the field general while a quarterback to running routes, the

transfer was nothing more than an experiment that turned into gold

for Parrish.

“As a quarterback, all the responsibility falls on you good or

bad,” Parrish said. “It was fun having all the weight lifted off my

shoulders. I could focus on running and catching ... it was simpler.”

He also learned how to block while at Arizona, boosting his stock

for an attempt to enter the NFL.

Several NFL teams sent Parrish letters. As a junior at Arizona, he

finished second in the Pac-10 in receptions before injuries cropped

up again his senior year.

On the first day players could practice in pads preceding the

1984-85 season, Parrish pulled a hamstring. Later in the season a

separated shoulder hindered Parrish’s pursuits. The year was

culminated by a broken leg, suffered in a game against UCLA that

decided which team would advance to the ’85 Rose Bowl. UCLA prevailed

and Parrish was injured again.

After taking a year off, Parrish worked out for Washington

Redskins scouts, but that was the closest he got to the NFL.

“After [the workout] I wanted to go in another direction,” Parrish

recalled. “I just tried to finish my degree.”

He changed majors three times and finally settled on pre-law,

receiving his degree in 1995.

Audrey and he own a window cleaning business, focusing on

commercial establishments.

Gary and Audrey married in 1993 and honeymooned in Maui. They knew

the time was near when they would call the Aloha State home.

“I loved the Newport summers and that is how it is here

year-round, though the nights [in Newport] are cooler than [in Maui].

Eleven years of 110-degree heat [in Arizona] is about all you can

take.”

Now in Maui, Gary and Audrey are building a foundation for a

school they hope will generate interest in studying the Bible.

“The foundation or author of our lives is the Bible and we let it

be a guide to our meetings and lives,” Parrish said. “It sets a

foundation you can always build on and return to.”