Jackie Parker

NFL player
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Caption=Jackie Parker holding the 1954 Grey Cup Championship trophy following the game
DateOfBirth=birth date|mf=yes|1932|8|3
Birthplace= Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
DateOfDeath=death date and age|mf=yes|2006|11|7|1932|8|3
Deathplace= Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Position=Quarterback Running Back Defensive back Placekicker
College=Mississippi State University
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Awards=1960 CFL MOP 1958 CFL MOP 1957 CFL MOP
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years=1954-1962 1963-1965 1966-1968
teams=Edmonton Eskimos Toronto Argonauts British Columbia Lions
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CFHOF=24&player=Parker,%20Jackie
CollegeHOF=50026

John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker (August 3, 1932-November 7, 2006) was an American football player who became an All-American in college football and an outstanding professional football player in the Canadian Football League at the running back, quarterback, and defensive back positions. He is primarily known for his play with the Edmonton Eskimos. Later in his career, he played for the Toronto Argonauts and the British Columbia Lions, and coached the Eskimos and Lions after his playing career ended.

Parker was named a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971, and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1976. In November, 2006, Parker was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (#3) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.cite web | url = http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10867 | accessdate = 2007-04-28 | author = | title = TSN Top 50 CFL Players | publisher = TSN.ca | date = 2006-11-28]

College career

Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Parker played college football for [http://www.jcjc.edu/ Jones County Junior College] in 1950-51 then two seasons as a member of the Bulldogs at Mississippi State University where he was named to the All-Conference and College Football All-America Teams.

Professional playing career

In 1954, Parker signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Nicknamed "Ol' Spaghetti Legs", Parker became one of the most important parts of the Eskimos dynasty of the mid-1950s. Parker played both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball, a practice not so uncommon in his day as it is today; however, his main strength was offense, where he was both a strong runner and an excellent quarterback. This is shown by his CFL Western Division All-Star selections; as a running back in 1954, 1957 and 1959, and as a quarterback in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961. Parker won six consecutive Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophies as the West Division's most outstanding player from 1956 to 1961, and seven in total. He was awarded the Schenley Award as the league's most outstanding player in 1957, 1958 and 1960 and was the runner-up in 1956 and 1961.

During the first three years of his career (1954-1957), the Eskimos won consecutive Grey Cups. In the 1954 Grey Cup, Parker made one of the most famous plays in Grey Cup history when, in the fourth quarter, Ted Tully hit Montréal Alouettes running back Chuck Hunsinger and forced a fumble. Parker recovered the ball and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eskimos, who were a large underdog in the game, a surprise victory. Parker's 90 yard fumble return remains a Grey Cup record to this day.

Following the 1962 season, the Eskimos traded Parker to the Toronto Argonauts for five players and $15,000. Parker played in Toronto from 1963 to 1965.

Parker finished his playing career with the B.C. Lions in 1968 when, as an assistant coach, he helped the team out of a difficult mid-season situation by donning the pads for one last go round as quarterback. At the time of his retirement, Parker, who also kicked extra points and field goals, had scored a then CFL record 750 points.

Coaching & post-football career

After his playing days ended, Parker moved into coaching. Parker coached the B.C. Lions for part of the 1969 season and all of 1970, before moving on to the front office as general manager the next year. He stayed as general manager until being fired in 1975.

Parker coached the Eskimos from 1983 to the 1987 CFL season, winning the 75th Grey Cup in 1987.

After leaving football, Parker was an executive with the Interprovincial Steel & Pipe Corporation, Ltd.

On November 7, 2006, Parker died in the early morning hours at a local Edmonton hospital at age 74 due to throat cancer.cite web | url = http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=newser&func=display&nid=13370 | accessdate = 2007-05-05 | author = Arrowsmith, Lisa | title = Jackie Parker: 1932-2006 | publisher = CFL.ca (originally appeared in "The Canadian Press") | date = 2006-11-07] .

Parker's awards and honours

Parker's jersey #91 currently hangs on the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos' Commonwealth Stadium. "Jackie Parker Park" in Edmonton, Alberta was named in his honor.

Jackie Parker was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1971, the Mississippi State University Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1972, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976, and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. In November, 2006, Parker was voted one of the CFL's top 50 players (#3) in a poll conducted by Canadian sports network TSN.cite web | url = http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/feature/?fid=10867 | accessdate = 2007-04-28 | author = | title = TSN Top 50 CFL Players | publisher = TSN.ca | date = 2006-11-28]

* Grey Cup victories – 1954, 1955, 1956
* CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award – 1957, 1958, 1960
* CFL All-Star – 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
* Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy (West Division's Most Outstanding Player) – 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961
* Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy (Top Scorer in West Division) – 1959, 1961
* Canadian Football Hall of Fame – 1971
* Edmonton Eskimo Wall of Honour – 1983
* Canada's Sports Hall of Fame - 1987
* Mississippi State University Hall of Fame – 1972
* Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame – 1972
* College Football Hall of Fame – 1976

References

External sources

* [http://www.esks.com/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=1288 Edmonton Eskimo Team Website]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006089 The Canadian Encyclopedia]
* "CFL Facts, Figures, And Records": 2003 Edition
* Graham Kelly, "The Grey Cup: A History" (1999)