John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker (January 1, 1932 – November 7, 2006) was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

player and coach. He was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

and an outstanding professional football player in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

at the

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, and

kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

positions. He is primarily known for his play with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

. Later in his career, he played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

and the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

, and coached the Eskimos and Lions after his playing career ended. Parker was named a member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1976, and the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

in 1976. In November, 2006, Parker was voted one of the CFL's Top 50 players (No. 3) of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

Early life

Parker was born on January 1, 1932, in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

and given the name John Dickerson Flanagan. When his mother remarried, he took on the last name of her new husband, Carroll Parker. He suffered through two childhood health scares. The first was when he almost died of a ruptured appendix,Sec Football 75 Years of Pride and Passion
/ref> and the second was when he suffered a flesh-eating disease that almost cost him his entire leg. Doctors wanted to amputate but Parker's mother would not allow it.Greatest Grey Cups: The Best of Canadian Football
/ref> Parker attended Young City High School in Knoxville, and despite playing only one year of football he was named an All-City tailback. While attending high school he met and married Peggy Jo, with whom he had three children, Jackie Jr., Peggy Mae and Jerri-Jo.Davis, Harrison, Parker to be inducted in JCJC Sports Hall of Fame
Jackie Parker Obituary
/ref>

College career

Jones County Junior College

When he first was graduated from high school Parker found that his college playing choices were limited because he was married, so he elected to play his first two years of college sports for

Jones County Junior College Jones College is a public community college in Ellisville, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and serves its eight-county district consisting of Clarke, Covington, Gree ...

Ellisville, Mississippi Ellisville is a town in and the first county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,448 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 3,465 at the 2000 census. The Jones County Courthouse is located here, as is much of t ...

, from 1950 to 1951. In 1951, he led the Bobcat football team to a 9–0–1 record and a state title. He was also a standout baseball player helping JCJC to a South Division title and state runner-up finish in 1951 and a state championship in 1952. He was eventually inducted into both the JCJC Sports Hall of Fame and the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

Hall of Fame. He then transferred to

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Unive ...

where he spent two seasons as a member of the

Bulldogs The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Murray Warmath Murray Warmath (December 26, 1912 – March 16, 2011) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State University from 1952 to 1953 and at the University of Minnesota from 1954 to 1971, compili ...

had a policy against married players. Mississippi State baseball coach, R.P. "Doc" Patty had no such policy so Parker got a baseball scholarship and joined the team, where he was an outstanding shortstop and received an offer to play for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. In 1952 the football coaches were in dire need of someone to run their new split-T offense and gave Parker a chance. Early on coaches were not impressed with Parker, but then in the final scrimmage before the opening game he tossed seven touchdowns. Nicknamed "The Fast Freight from Mississippi State", he was named to the 1952 and 1953 All–

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

teams and the

1953 College Football All-America Team The 1953 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1953. The eight selectors recognized by the ...

. In 1952, he led all

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I players in points scored, with 120. Parker's 120 points were an SEC record that stood until 1992, when it was broken by

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

running back

Garrison Hearst Gerard Garrison Hearst (born January 4, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Georgia, and was r ...

. Parker won numerous other honors during his college career including being named the

Nashville Banner The ''Nashville Banner'' is a defunct daily newspaper of Nashville, Tennessee, United States, which published from April 10, 1876 until February 20, 1998. The ''Banner'' was published each Monday through Friday afternoon (as well as Saturdays unti ...

SEC

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

in 1952 and 53, the Birmingham QB Club MVP in 1953 (an award he shared with teammate

Hal Easterwood Harold Boyd "Hal" Easterwood (October 14, 1932 - August 13, 2005) was an American football player. Easterwood played college football at the center position for the Mississippi State Bulldogs football The Mississippi State Bulldogs football ...

, who was a lineman), and being named the Atlanta Touchdown Club Back of the Year in 1953. Parker rewrote the record books at MSU and still holds several school records. * Most points scored by a non-kicker in a single season with 120 in 1952 (tied by

Vick Ballard Vick Ballard (born July 16, 1990) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Mississippi State, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts 170th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. College career Ballard attended Missis ...

in 2010). * Most total points responsible for in a single season with 168 in 1952. * Highest career yards per pass attempt at 8.518. * Most rushing touchdowns in a single (modern) game with 4 vs Arkansas State in 1952 (record shared with 4 others). * Most points scored in a single (modern) game with 29 vs Arkansas State in 1952. * Most points responsible for in a single game with 6 TDs & 6 PATs vs Auburn in 1952. In addition to the records he currently holds, Parker set several records that have since been broken and remains on the top ten list in several categories at MSU. * 2nd most touchdowns responsible for rushing and passing in a single game with 6 vs Auburn in 1952 (broken by

Dak Prescott Rayne Dakota Prescott (born July 29, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State, where he twice received first-team All- SEC honors, a ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

). * 2nd in single season rushing TDs with 16 in 1952 behind

with 19 in 2010. * 3rd in career passing efficiency at 135.11 behind

Tyler Russell Tyler Ryan Russell (born December 6, 1990) is an American football quarterback. He had played college football from 2010 to 2013 for Mississippi State University, where he placed fifth on the Bulldogs' career passing list with 5,441 passing yar ...

's 137.3. and

's 146.0 * 3rd in single season total TDs responsible for rushing and passing with 24 in 1953 behind Prescott's 41 in 2014 and Russell's 26 in 2012. * Tied with J.J Johnson and John Bond for 5th in career rushing TDs with 24 behind Michael Davis,

, and

Anthony Dixon Anthony Rishard "Boobie" Dixon (born September 24, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Mississippi State Univers ...

. * 7th on the all-time scoring list. * 10th in single season total TDs responsible for rushing and passing with 15 in 1952 On top of his exploits as the Bulldog QB, Parker was also the team's leading punt returner in 1953, the leading kick returner in 1952 and 1953, and led the team in passes intercepted in 1953 with 4. To go along with his athletic awards, he was named to the 1953

Cosida College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pros ...

All-Academic team. In 1976, he was inducted into the

Professional playing career

Once his college playing days were over Parker was drafted by both the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

of the NFL and the

of the

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagu ...

(which became part of the

in 1958). Despite being offered more money by the Giants, Parker chose to sign with the Eskimos in part because his former quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State,

Darrell Royal Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957� ...

, had become the Eskimos' head coach. Royal never actually coached Parker in Canada as he returned to Mississippi State as the head coach for the 1954 season. At the end of his first season Giants owner

Wellington Mara Wellington Timothy Mara (August 14, 1916 – October 25, 2005) was the co-owner of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) from 1959 until his death. He was the younger son of Tim Mara, who founded the Giants in 1925. Wellingto ...

personally came calling with a contract worth almost twice what Parker was making with the Eskimos but Parker chose to not to go to New York in part because Peggy said she liked Edmonton better. Nicknamed "Ol' Spaghetti Legs", Parker became one of the most important parts of the Eskimos dynasty of the mid-1950s. While Parker played both defence and offence, a not uncommon practice in his day, his main strength was offence, where he was both a strong runner and an excellent quarterback. This is shown by his Western 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's most outstanding player from 1956 to

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, and seven in total. He was awarded the

Schenley Award The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

as Canadian football's most outstanding player in 1957, 1958 and 1960 and was the runner-up in 1956 and 1961. During the first three seasons of his career (1954–1956), the Eskimos won consecutive

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

s. 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

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

running back

Chuck Hunsinger Charles Ray Hunsinger (July 25, 1925 – March 23, 1998) was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) for six seasons during t ...

forcing 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 remained a Grey Cup record until

Cassius Vaughn Cassius M. Vaughn (born November 3, 1987) is a former Canadian football defensive back. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Ole Miss. In the NFL, Vaughn has also played for the In ...

's 109-yard fumble return in the

105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th cham ...

. Following the 1962 season, the Eskimos traded Parker to the

for five players and $15,000. Parker played in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

from

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

. Parker finished his playing career with the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

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.

Career statistics

Coaching and post-football career

After his playing days ended, Parker moved into coaching. Parker coached the

for part of the

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

season and all of

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, before moving on to the front office as

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

the next year. He stayed as general manager until being fired in 1975. Parker coached the Eskimos from

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

, taking over at mid-season after a 4–4 start led to the firing of Pete Kettela until resigning for health reasons two games into the 1987 season, with

Joe Faragalli Joe Faragalli (April 18, 1929 – April 10, 2006) was a gridiron football player and coach who had most of his success in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Faragalli played Guard (American football), guard at Villanova University from 1950 to ...

replacing him as Eskimos coach; the team went on to win the

that season after losing to Hamilton the previous year. After leaving football, Parker was an executive with the Interprovincial Steel & Pipe Corporation, Ltd. On November 7, 2006, Parker died at a local Edmonton hospital at age 74 due to

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

Parker's awards and honours

Parker's jersey No. 91 currently hangs on the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos'

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

. Jackie Parker Park, in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta, was named in his honour. The

Jackie Parker Trophy The Jackie Parker Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy that is awarded annually to the Most Outstanding Rookie in the West Division, since 1974. Each team in the West Division nominates a candidate from which a winner is chosen, and either ...

, awarded annually to the Most Outstanding Rookie in the West Division, is named after him. Jackie Parker was inducted into the

in 1971, the

Sports Hall of Fame and the

Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Jackson, Mississippi. The hall of fame was established in 1961 and is currently located in a museum that displays the achievements of Mississippi athletes. The museum opened on July 4, 19 ...

in 1972, the

in 1976, and

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

in 1987. In November 2006, Parker was voted as #3 on a list of the CFL's top 50 players since 1945, in a poll conducted by Canadian sports network TSN. *

victories – 1954, 1955, 1956 *

CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award The Most Outstanding Player Award is annually awarded to the best player in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Terry Evanshen Trophy winner from the East Division, and the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy winner from ...

– 1957, 1958, 1960 * WIFU or CFL All-Star – 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 *

Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy The Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League West Division's most outstanding player, chosen from the nominees from each team in the division. Either this trophy winner or the winner of the Terry Evanshen T ...

(West Division's most outstanding player) – 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961 *

Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy The Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, given to the top scorer in the West Division. Unlike other CFL trophies, there is no East Division counterpart, though the East Division teams were eligible in the 1995 CFL ...

(top scorer in West Division) – 1959, 1961 *

– 1971 * Edmonton Eskimo Wall of Honour – 1983 *

– 1987 * All

– 1952, 1953 *

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...

– 1959 *

SEC

– 1952, 1953 * Birmingham QB Club MVP – 1953 * Atlanta Touchdown Club Back of the Year – 1953 *

Sports Hall of Fame – 1972 *

– 1972 *

– 1976 *

Sports Hall of Fame – 2013 *

Hall of Fame - 1995

References

External links

The Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Jackie 1932 births 2006 deaths American football quarterbacks American players of Canadian football Canadian football quarterbacks Canadian football running backs BC Lions coaches BC Lions players BC Lions general managers Edmonton Elks coaches Edmonton Elks players Jones County Bobcats football players Mississippi State Bulldogs football players Toronto Argonauts players Jones County Bobcats baseball players Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners College Football Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Knoxville, Tennessee Players of American football from Knoxville, Tennessee Deaths from cancer in Alberta Deaths from esophageal cancer