Eric Parker, who won seven region titles and a state championship as Burke County’s football coach since 2007, retired Wednesday.
Parker also coached at Laney in Augusta from 1997 to 2006, and his record over 26 seasons was 208-102. His 208 victories ranked 10th among active GHSA coaches.
Parker suffered a heart attack this season during an Oct. 31 game against Wayne County and was airlifted to a hospital. He recovered quickly but did not return to full-time coaching. His final team was 9-3 and reached the Class 4A second round.
Parker told AJC.com that the heart attack played a role in his decision but that he had let his principal and superintendent know a year ago that the 2022 might be his last. It was his 33 on high school football sidelines.
“With the health scare that I had in October, that expedited the matter,’’ Parker said. “I’m not sure that I wouldn’t have retired anyway, but I took that as a sign from the good Lord that it was time. We had a great run, and I had a lot of fun.”
Parker said he hadn’t lost any enthusiasm for the job.
“I always thought that when I got ready to retire that it would be because I’m exhausted and didn’t want to do it anymore, but that’s not exactly how it happened,’' Parker said. “There’s so much to this just I’m going to miss, but at the end of the day, I don’t trust myself to coach and not get emotionally invested and stressed out, and there’s my family, and I don’t think my wife would’ve been entire comfortable with me coaching and her not always being around.”
Parker’s 2011 Burke County team finished 14-1 and won the Class 3A championship with a 28-14 victory over Peach County.
Parker is one of fewer than 20 Georgia coaches to win state titles as a coach and player. He was a member of Mitchell-Baker’s 1983 championship team.
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