“When it happens to such a young kid with so many good things going for him, it’s a tragedy,” said Mitch Moore, Parker’s high school football coach.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — There’s no doubt the late football player Parker Sutherland touched many lives at the University of Northern Iowa. His impact goes beyond Cedar Falls, though, into his roots as a high school athlete at Iowa City High School.

For four years, City High head football coach Mitch Moore witnessed Parker grow. Quickly, he became an essential part of the football program’s success.

“He just embraced getting better every year. He embraced being a great teammate. He never took the easy way out,” Moore said. “You really get close to those kids because they crave the idea that every day you show up and you get better, and you’ve got a purpose.”

Moore said he feels it more this week how big of an imprint Parker left on City High athletics. As not only a football player, but a basketball and baseball player too, he was a name most Iowa City residents knew.

“I’ve got three young boys, and there’s so many young kids in this community that thought Parker Sutherland was bigger than Tom Brady, or those guys that you see in the NFL, because they could see him every day,” Moore said.

He said he wants his three young sons to emulate Parker. Why? Because so many of the qualities he showed on the field, like his ability to keep calm in chaotic situations or step up to be a leader when his teammates needed it are qualities he displayed off the field, too.

“He was just a giant soul and and he was a friend to so many,” Moore said. “He was a competitor. He was as consistent as the day is long. And he was so authentic because he did such a good job of living in the moment.”

Students and staff at City High followed Parker through his journey as he put on the UNI uniform and became a Panther. Though that journey sadly ended soon, that community honored his legacy both there and back at home by gathering on the 50-yard line Friday evening. Hundreds came together to put his number 88 on the field and on the scoreboard, while Parker’s parents shared stories.

“The outpouring of love that he’s received, our program, and his family and our community have received, it’s been nothing short of amazing,” Moore said. “I think that’s the part we can’t forget as leaders and mentors in the community, is this isn’t going to be a one week thing. We’re going to have to help this family, and our program and this community for a long time, and live like Parker did.”

Now, while Moore and teammates who played with Parker navigate the loss, Moore said they are all going to keep strong and show up, because “that’s what Parker did.”