After 33 years, Marist football head coach Jim Parady is retiring from coaching the Red Foxes as the longest tenured head coach in Division I football, Marist Athletics announced in a press release earlier today.
The announcement comes after a 4-7 record and 4-4 conference record for Marist football in the Pioneer Football League, the second consecutive season the team has finished with a .500 conference record. The Red Foxes finished fifth in the PFL standings in the 2023 season, with Parady’s career ending on a senior day loss to Bucknell 38-21.
“I am proud of what we accomplished at Marist,” said Parady in the press release. “I am grateful to all the great student-athletes I’ve had the chance to work with. It has been incredible to see them in their life after graduation and seeing them as husbands, fathers, having successful professional careers, and giving back to Marist and their own communities. I will always cherish my time leading this program. I’d also like to thank all the fantastic administration and staff I’ve worked with who help make Marist a special place, and I wish them success moving forward.”
In his tenure, Parady has guided the program to four conference championships, including three MAAC championships and a PFL championship in 2013, when Parady simultaneously received conference coach of the year nods four years into his PFL tenure.
While the Red Foxes finished with a conference record of 7-1 to top the PFL, the team has finished with a conference record within two games above or below a .500 record since the 2013 championship.
Taking over as head coach in 1992 while Marist football stood as a Division III program, Parady has been the staple of the Red Foxes. He retires as the winningest coach in program history; with 155 total wins–earning his 150th in 2022–Parady finished his career with an overall record of 155-171-1 and a 58-54 win in PFL play after 13 seasons in the conference.
Parady oversaw two players in his career who graduated and appeared in games in the National Football League: Jason Myers, a kicker for the Seattle Seahawks playing in his ninth season in the NFL as a two-time Pro Bowl selection; and Terrence Fede, a defensive drafted to the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round of the NFL draft while playing in the NFL from 2013-17.
Replacing Parady will be defensive coordinator Scott Rumsey as acting interim head coach. The longtime defensive coordinator for Marist has been on the Red Foxes staff for 26 years, with the last 23 years as defensive coordinator and the last 18 years as associate head coach.
While Rumsey oversees the current interim duties, “a national search for Parady’s successor will begin immediately,” according to Marist Athletics. For the first time, the Marist Red Foxes will see a new face in charge in the course of its history as a Division I football program.
Photo from Marist Athletics
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Correction: The headline and first paragraph previously stated “Longest tenured coach in Division I history”, which is incorrect. It has been appropriately switched to “longest tenured head coach in Division I football“
I believe your headline is incorrect. The Marist College press release says that Jim Parady “was the longest-tenured head coach in Division I football” not “Longest Tenure in Division I History” as your headline and first paragraph state.
Eddie Robinson was the head coach at Grambling State University for over 55 years and Bobby Bowden & Joe Paterno were head coaches at their respective schools for 40+ years just to name a few examples.
Thank you for the feedback. The story has been edited and the correction is listed on the bottom of the site. We apologize for the original fallacy.
Awesome!! I’ve enjoyed checking out the site – nice work, Go Red Foxes!!