At a time when racial tension among students at American High School boiled over, Jimmie Parrot stepped into the fray and eased the dissension by employing disciplinary actions and encouraging students to get along with their counterparts.
He bridged the gap between hostility and understanding so much that white, black and Latino students called him Papa Smurf, referring to the 1980s cartoon featuring a small elf-like character raising a hundred smurfs in a tiny village.
“It was right around the time the Smurfs were out and the kids called me Papa Smurf,” said Parrot. “It wasn’t racial or negative, they loved to call me Papa Smurf and it stuck with me for all these years.”
Parrot, who’s the defensive line coach and a faculty member, shared his fond memories, as he’s retiring after 44 years as an educator and mentor to students who have gone on to be successful people. He spent 33 of those years at American.
The 63-year-old was an assistant coach under five different head coaches and the team enjoyed three consecutive district titles under Corey Bell.
But his only regret was that American never won a state championship, and he said it’s a matter of time before the Patriots finally get over the hump and win a state championship.
“It’s going to come,” he said. “Coach Bell will get the job done.”
The Miami native who graduated from Miami Jackson High said the Northwest Miami-Dade area was much different in the early 1980s.Then, the vicinity was surrounded by cow pastures and a diary farm.
“N.W. 67 Avenue didn’t exist,” he said.
After graduating from Bethune Cookman College where he played linebacker for the Wildcats, Parrot said he landed his first teaching job at Orchard Villa Elementary School in Liberty City.
He later taught at Gladeview Elementary before the sour economy forced school officials to shut it down, and he was assigned to Hialeah Middle School.
While working in the ESC Department, the principal discovered Parrot had the niche to keep kids on the right track.
But he wanted to coach high school football and when he opportunity surfaced, the principal at Hialeah Middle School did everything in her power to keep him there because he did a “great” job with he kids.To no avail.
Eventually, Parrot was hired to be the defensive line coach at American and he never looked back.
“After American was built, I always wanted to come here,” Parrot said. “I wanted to help kids and coach here.”
The most rewarding part of his job was seeing former students and athletes graduate from college and become successful business people and good citizens.
“They did the right thing,” Parrot said. “When they see me, they walk up and say now I get it. Everything you told me was right and they thank me for it.”
Following his retirement party in December, Parrot said he plans to devote a lot of time at his church and mentor his 5-year-old grandson.
“It’s time to switch gears and do other things in my life,” he said.
He said he will certainly miss the students and athletes.
“I’m going to miss being around them,” he said. “But I hope to still be involved in some capacity because my blood bleeds red, white and blue.”