Chad Parker is out as Fleming Island head coach after one season, the school confirmed Thursday, making the move only one week into preseason practice for Florida high school football.
The athletic department is installing defensive coordinator Derek Chipoletti in Parker's place as interim coach, effective immediately.
Fleming Island athletic director Travis Cunningham confirmed the moves to the Times-Union on Thursday. Clay Today initially reported Parker's exit late Wednesday night.
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Officially, Cunningham told the Times-Union that Parker "resigned for personal reasons" and the school declined to specify additional details surrounding the abrupt change, which occurs just over one week before the Aug. 16 Fleming Island kickoff classic against Westside.
Phone messages for Parker as well as the office of Fleming Island principal Thomas Pittman had not been returned as of early Thursday afternoon.
Why did Chad Parker's Fleming Island tenure end?
Many questions remain about the sudden move, less than one week after Parker and his players appeared at Baker's Sports/Jaguars Prep Media Day at EverBank Stadium. Cunningham acknowledged that the timing was "not optimal."
Parker had coached the Golden Eagles for one season, finishing 3-7 in 2023, after a long tenure on Bartram Trail's staff under Darrell Sutherland. At Bartram Trail, Parker also coached wrestling and took a significant role in coordinating the Bears' college recruiting.
Fleming Island was Parker's first head coaching position in high school football, although not the first time he had accepted a head coaching post. Wolfson High School had named Parker as head coach during June 2017, but he resigned shortly afterward without coaching a game.
As of Thursday, Cunningham said that Parker remains with Clay County District Schools.
Derek Chipoletti: New coach to lead Fleming Island
Chipoletti brings close family ties to the program. His father, Neal Chipoletti, was the first head coach in Fleming Island history upon the school's opening for the 2003-04 school year. The elder Chipoletti coached the Golden Eagles from 2003 to 2008, compiling a career record of 29-34.
Derek Chipoletti will be entering his 10th season of head coaching after prior stints at Williston (2009), Bradford (2010-11), Oakleaf (2012-15) and St. Johns Country Day (2018-19) with a career record of 50-41 and three playoff appearances.
He led Oakleaf to its first-ever postseason appearance, and went 12-1 in 2014 while steering the Knights to a regional final. Oakleaf had won only one game in two years before his arrival. Chipoletti also went 15-7 at Bradford, where he helped the Tornadoes end a playoff drought that had stretched for more than half a decade.
A Clay County native, Chipoletti played high school football at Orange Park under Bob Williams in the early 1990s. He becomes the sixth head coach in program history, following Neal Chipoletti, Jeff Webb, Frank Hall, Damenyum Springs and Parker.
Fleming Island's move adds to a coaching carousel that has seen more than a dozen Northeast Florida positions change hands since the end of the 2023 regular season.
Fleming Island enters the season in a newly-reconstructed district alongside Beachside, Middleburg, Orange Park and Ponte Vedra. The Golden Eagles begin the regular season on Aug. 23 at rival Clay in Green Cove Springs.
Derek Chipoletti's coaching record
2009 : Williston 0-11 (7-4 before forfeits)
2010 : Bradford 7-3
2011 : Bradford 7-4
2012: Oakleaf 6-4
2013: Oakleaf 4-6
2014: Oakleaf 12-1
2015: Oakleaf 8-2
2018: St. Johns CD 3-6
2019: St. Johns CD 3-4
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Chad Parker out as Fleming Island football coach, two weeks before 2024 FHSAA kickoff
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