CARBONDALE (WSIL) -- Blake Parzych had a career football game for SIU against SEMO on Friday October 30, 2020.
It was also his last. A tough decision, but a reminder they are student first, athlete second and football was a tool to reach a bigger goal.
"This is my fifth year and my body was kind of telling me it's time to hang them up and took that into a lot of consideration, it was just, I didn't think I was going to the NFL so I thought it was time to start looking for my new career and finding something new to start pursuing," Parzych said.
It's not often you hear an athlete say, my body is talking to me I need to listen. Because it may mean it's telling you to give up the sport you love. The game you've been playing your whole life. But as difficult as it was SIU's Blake Parzych listened.The SIU finance major suffered a concussion a month before playing in his last game. He graduated in December and the focus is on life after football
"It's hard because a lot of times in football because you have to be tough and sweep it under the rug but that one was kind of scary but that was kind of the determining factor, that was the determing factor that last concussion. I've had quite a few playing nose guard. We're down in the trenches, banging all game long so with that, that is a different kind of part of your body. That is something you really have to listen to. You only get one brain so with that being said, I'm glad I had one more game to go out with because I've got to be working on all gears after football because you can't be playing around with numbers if I can't be thinking straight."
And what a game to end a career on. Blake changed his diet entering this season, lost twenty pounds, said physcially he was at his best, never got tired, really took to the coaching leading up to the game, creditied the entire defense, said the coverage was outsnding and throw in the energy game night, they were all part of the recipe for success.
"Once you get that first taste of blood, you are seeing red the rest of the game. Energy is one thing but our sideline is great. Come to the sideline people are always patting you up. It's a team effort whether you are on the field or not. You got Lucas Giegling over there in a sling and he's coming out headbutting me when I got a helmet on and he don't even have a helmet on so you need guys like that on your team too."
Blake may not be strolling back on the field wearing number 93, but he is and forever will be the Salukis team captain.
"Yeah it's hard to walk away from that but they still know they got me whether on the field or off the field, I'm just a phone call away and I love them all the same it's just, I might be done playiing football but those are my brothers for life."
