Huskies, Blazers made right call
Paul Parpet sat front-row center at a coaching clinic in Florida as Lou Holtz spoke to a packed house.
In the middle of a motivational lecture being given by the man who coached Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship, Parpet's cell phone vibrated. It was his son, Paulie, calling.
Knowing what the call probably meant, Parpet awkwardly stood up in front of the crowd, walked out of the conference hall and answered the phone.
Parpet's motivation clearly rested many states away from Holtz's microphone.
Paulie had just been hired as Addison Trail's football coach, taking over from where his father left off after 29 years at the helm of the Blazers' program.
Weeks later, defining that moment remains difficult for both father and son.
"Yeah, I was proud," said Parpet Sr., who's retiring from teaching at the end of this school year.
Just this week, another father's son experienced the same stirring moment. Sean Drendel, the son of Gene, a 30-year teacher and administrator in District 203, was hired as Naperville North's head football coach. He'll replace retiring mentor Larry McKeon.
Although Gene Drendel died in 2008 at the age of 71, there's no doubt he looked down upon his son - a sixth-generation Napervillian - with tremendous pride. Sean, a 1990 graduate of Naperville North and 15-year coach in the football program, just achieved the goal of his dreams.
"I thought about him a lot through the whole process," Drendel said. "I'm sure he's up there thinking all kinds of things, but I'm sure he's a little proud."
Both situations, as emotionally fulfilling as they are, come with a great deal of pressure.
Parpet Jr., Addison Trail's defensive coordinator since 1999 and a coach in the program for several years before that, knows he'll need to prove himself in the face of those who believe he got the head coaching job because of his father.
"Taking over for a hall of fame coach is one thing, but taking over for one who's your father is something else," Parpet Jr. said. "There are going to be people out there who say I got the job because of my dad. With the support of the players, the school, the community and the coaching staff, I'm going to prove them wrong."
Drendel, meanwhile, takes over for a legend in McKeon, who coached the Huskies to two state titles, 23 playoff appearances and seven DuPage Valley Conference titles.
Regardless of the shoes he must fill, Drendel is the natural choice as the team's defensive coordinator for the past 10 years and a former standout player for the Huskies. Because he's not a teacher and doesn't work at Naperville North, however, Drendel understands the additional challenges he faces.
"I know that's an issue for some people, but I think you're seeing more and more coaches who aren't in the building," said Drendel, a self-employed financial trader. "I'll be at Naperville North more now, in season and out of season. And the bottom line is that, more than anything, I care about the kids and the community. I'll do whatever's best for Naperville North and this football program."
In both cases that bottom line holds tremendous value. Addison Trail and Naperville North couldn't have chosen two people who care more about their respective schools.
Parpet Jr., in addition to his 15 years of coaching the Blazers, grew up watching his father's games from the sideline. Drendel, a Naperville North Hall of Fame member along with his father, has the same devotion to his school.
Regardless of the naysayers, these hires make perfect sense.
But back to that Lou Holtz clinic in Florida for a moment.
When Holtz ended his speech, Parpet Sr. went up to him and apologized for leaving in the middle of the presentation. After explaining to Holtz that his son had just been hired to replace him, Holtz beamed with interest.
Parpet asked Holtz to sign an autograph for Paulie, and Holtz gladly obliged. Parpet plans to frame the autograph as a congratulatory present for his son.
"That's great, isn't it?" Parpet asked.
Yeah, it is.
kschmit@dailyherald.com