Wightington- It was a career when Bob Paracell infected a full-time men’s athletic director at Minnesota West Community and Technical College in 2017.
That year, he left the post from the 20 -year rule as the head wrestling coach, but the job he was moving forward was unfamiliar.
“At that time the athletic director had a stroke and I took it for a year,” said Parsel. “And this was my master’s degree – activities administration – but I took it for a year and then when he came back, he did for a few more years, and then Justin Hekanalibe took it.”
Hychellibal was a long -lasting men’s basketball coach. But Persel handled the advertising duties for the wrestling team at that time, as well as before taking a full -time position.
Now, eight years later, Persel is calling it a career in Minnesota West and there were some reasons that he decided now.
“My daughters are now in college and I wanted to spend more time with my family,” he said. “My father lived till 78, so if I retire at the age of 65, I get 13 years. Now I am hoping that I will beat him, but you have friends who pass in the 60s and their 50s, and you say, ‘You say,’ The next dollar where you are worth the day you are giving that you should do?” And I reached that conclusion.
This was not an easy decision for Persel, but he does not regret it because athletic director requires a lot of work – according to him people realize.
“You are eligible, you are sure that everyone is eligible to play, you are performing your best, to make sure that you can overcome the class of your budget, all the things that are happening in each game that the minimum conference program is enough to cover the program at least in their budget,” Persel said. “And you move forward and you have to make academic reports … you have received to deal with any malpractice on each team, to investigate the malpractice of anyone coming in the teams.”
Originally Carrington, from North Dakota, Persel Bismarck had a state-champion wrestler in 132 pounds. He then moved to the Minnesota State University-Morhead, where knee injuries eventually reduced their career on the mat.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in health services, physical education and school health education in the Moorehed State and there were assistant wrestling coaches there for five years.
“I never got nervous about the game, and I knew that I would be a better coach, as I was a wrestler, because I used to help younger people improve,” Paracell said.
He then earned his Master in Education Activities Administration at North Dakota State University and served a four -year active duty tour as a fighter medicine for the Army Department.
After that, Paracell was firm to find a head wrestling coaching gig. But with limited positions in the region, it was difficult to find one.
I have been Minnesota West Bluejay for 28 years and I am going to be Minnesota West Bluejay.
Bob Paracell
So Parsel started teaching Prithvi Survival School in twin cities while coaching some freestyle wrestling in summer. He was then offered a job as a health teacher at St. Paul when his phone rang. It came out from Minnesota West as a head wrestling coach with an early position.
“I said, ‘Hey, I will do whatever I want,” the person said. “I came to Minnesota West because the boy turned down the job. It was a late fare.”
Parsel accepted the job in 1997 and in the next 20 years, he had never seen the event in the heights, never seen before. He granted coaching 22 NJCAA all-Americans, won two Minnesota College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Award and named NJCAA Man of the Year in 2014.
But one of his most glorious achievements as a wrestling coach stems from academics. During his time as a wrestling coach, Blues recorded a graduate rate of 90.8% and was still at the forefront of academics when he became a full -time advertisement.
When he took a goal of Persel, he was to hire more local coaches who were full -time employees, who also gave importance to academics.
He also wanted to see students who bought both school and sports. In its eight years, the men’s athletic department has improved with more full -time roles and better graduate rates in both regions.
“We were subject to the budget and we had a lot of hardworking people who used to put their team in additional hours so that they could at least do bare bones,” Paracell said. “And now we have a administration that has supported the program and its students for a better degree where it is not a bare bones program, but it is not just a good old, solid program.”
With his Minnesota West Career, Paracell now accepted the importance of some of his biggest masters such as Jerry Jensen and Mike Fury, as well as colleagues and former bluejay football coach Jeff Linder and current women basketball coaches and women advertisements with friends like Rosali Heyenga-Hostka.
As far as retirement of Paracell is planned?
“Well, I am going to Baltic in June,” he said. “Me and my cousin are going to spend time there.”
Meanwhile, he will continue to support and root out for the blues as if he has for about 30 years.
“I have been Minnesota West Bluejay for 28 years and I am going to be Minnesota West Bluejay,” he said.
Skyler Jackson joined the globe in July 2023 as a reporter covering both the news and the game. Born in Ciox City, Iowa and Pala -Bad, Skyler attended South Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in journalism in 2023. After graduating in college, he decided to settle in Worthington for his current job in The Globe.