Sometimes a college coach doesn’t simply work at an institution of higher learning. He becomes an institution himself. That’s Boston University hockey coach Jack Parker, who formally announced Monday he’s putting away the whistle at the end of the season.

In his 40th season as the bench boss on Commonwealth Avenue, Parker is that rare breed of coach who has become synonymous with and inseparable from his university, like Paul “Bear” Bryant (Alabama), John Wooden (UCLA), Dean Smith (North Carolina), or Mike Krzyzewski (Duke).