While many students know Mr. Parlavecchio as the laid-back U.S. History teacher at NPHS, football has been a central part of his life long before he stepped into the classroom. From starting as a young player in 2nd grade to earning a spot on the field in college, his passion for the game has only grown.

“I played at Delbarton, and I went on to play at Union College in Schenectady, New York, Division III football,” he recalls.

Playing football at the college level is no small feat, as only 7% of high school players make it to that stage.

He was also heavily inspired by his father, a former NFL player and coach.

“I’ve been around his game in every way possible in my entire life, and watching him coach, and being around his sidelines, being the ball boy for him, and kind of just being around it for my whole life,” he said.

Football runs in his DNA, especially coaching. This love for the game led him to his current position at NPHS, where he just completed his 7th season coaching.

He was brought to the program for a reason: to turn the energy around and rejuvenate the football team, though many doubted his coaching abilities.

“You know, when I took the job here, they had just come off a 1-9 season, and a lot of people thought the program was down and out. A lot of people actually told me to stay away from the job because, you know, the kids are different. It’s changing. They don’t know if it will ever be what it was again. But I didn’t listen,” he said.

Despite the skepticism surrounding the program, Parlavecchio came in to prove the doubters wrong.

As for his teaching career, he made a pivotal decision in college that led him to where he is now:  “I thought I wanted to be a business major, and it took about 15 minutes for me to realize that wasn’t me. When I was at Union, I got my history degree, then went on to Caldwell after I graduated from Union to get my education degree so I could teach and coach football. And here we are.”

Recently, Parlavecchio earned his 50th career victory as head coach.

He reflected on how far he’s come to reach this milestone: “It means a lot because of where it came from. A lot of people said it wasn’t going to happen, and here we are now. It means a lot to me, but a lot of great players, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into that, and a lot of great coaches helped me get there.”