In the late 1980s, Susie Parra played virtually every sport at Cocopah Middle School in Scottsdale. Softball. Basketball. Volleyball. Football.
Yes, football.
When Parra’s P.E. teacher saw her throw a football 40 yards in a playground game with male students, he phoned prominent softball pitching instructor Ron Bouldin.
"I’ve got a pitcher for you," he said.
Indeed, once Bouldin began to work with Parra, she soon became an All-State pitcher at Scottsdale Chaparral High School, leading the team to a 28-0-1 record and the 1989 state title. Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Oklahoma State were the first to offer Parra a scholarship.
When she chose Arizona, coach Mike Candrea had a franchise pitcher like few others. Parra went 101-9 in her four UA seasons – including 33-1 as the Wildcats won the 1994 NCAA championship.
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Parra wasn’t the first highly coveted Phoenix-area athlete who chose to play for the Wildcats, but she became one of the Top 10 to make the two-hour trip down Interstate 10. Here’s our list:
