Joshua David Parry (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional
football player who was a
fullback in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football for the
San Jose State Spartans
The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference (MW) at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football B ...
. He was signed by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2001.
Parry was also a member of the
Oakland Raiders,
Frankfurt Galaxy, and
Seattle Seahawks.
Early years
Parry attended Sonora High School in
Sonora, California
Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,226 during the 2020 Census, an increase of 221 from the ...
, where he played
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Ther ...
and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
in
football.
He set a school record with 44 rushing touchdowns in his career.
College career
Parry played
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
at
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
, and in his senior season, recorded 122 tackles and two
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
s. His brother, Neil, who played alongside him at
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
, suffered a broken leg during his sophomore season, which led to a bacterial infection and the amputation of his foot. Neil later played for the Spartans in 2003 with a prosthetic leg.
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Parry entered the
2001 NFL Draft but went undrafted. He was signed by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
for training camp and made it through the preseason until final cuts. He then spent the 2001 season on the
Oakland Raiders'
practice squad.
Parry was re-signed by the Eagles to a future contract two days after their loss in the
NFC Championship game. They assigned him to the
Frankfurt Galaxy of
NFL Europe, where he played linebacker and running back. He returned to the Eagles for training camp and the preseason, but following a knee injury during the 2002 preseason finale, Parry was not signed for the 2002 season.
Parry was re-signed to a future contract again on January 30, 2003. He was converted to
fullback during mini-camp in 2003.
He was waived during final cuts again on August 31, 2003, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 1. He was re-signed to a future contract on February 6, 2004, but was waived during final cuts again on September 1. He was re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 6, but was released on September 22. After the Eagles' starting fullback
Jon Ritchie
Jon David Ritchie (born September 4, 1974) is an American sports radio host and former professional American football fullback in the National Football League. He started for seven seasons in the NFL, playing for the Oakland Raiders and the Ph ...
suffered a torn
ACL in a game against the
Detroit Lions, Parry was re-signed to a three-year contract on September 27 and assumed the starting job with
Thomas Tapeh
Thomas Teah Tapeh (pronounced ''TUH-PEH'') (born March 28, 1980 in Monrovia, Liberia) is a former American football fullback. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minn ...
for the rest of the season. Parry beat out Ritchie for the starting job in training camp in 2005, and starting in all 16 games for the Eagles. In 2006, Parry was in competition with Tapeh for the starting fullback job.
Seattle Seahawks
Parry was traded to the
Seattle Seahawks on September 2, 2006, after he lost out to Tapeh, in exchange for the team's seventh round selection in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, which turned out to be offensive tackle
King Dunlap. Parry played in eight games for the Seahawks before he was placed on injured reserve on November 29 with a foot injury. He did not receive a
restricted free agent
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
tender from the Seahawks following the season, and became an
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
. He was re-signed to a two-year contract on March 5, 2007, but was waived during final roster cuts on September 1.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parry, Josh
1978 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tuolumne County, California
American football linebackers
American football fullbacks
San Jose State Spartans football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Frankfurt Galaxy players
Seattle Seahawks players
People from Sonora, California