Jackie Parker

Early life

Parker was born on January 1, 1932, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He suffered through two childhood health scares. The first was when he almost died of a ruptured appendix, 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. 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 his wife Peggy Jo, with whom he would have three children, Jackie Jr., Peggy Mae and Jerri-Jo.

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 in Ellisville, Mississippi, 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 Hall of Fame. He then transferred to Mississippi State University where he spent two seasons as a member of the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State

When Parker first got to Mississippi State he once again found that his married status was a limiting factor as head football coach Murray Warmath 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. In 1952 the football coaches were in dire need of someone to run their new spit-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 TDs.

Nicknamed "The Fast Freight from Mississippi State", he was named to the 1952 and 1953 All–Southeastern Conference teams and the 1953 College Football All-America Team. In 1952, he led all NCAA Division I players in points scored, with 120. Parker's 120 points were an SEC record that would stand until 1992, when it was broken by Georgia running back Garrison Hearst. Parker won numerous other honors during his college career including being named the Nashville Banner SEC MVP in 1952 and 53, the Birmingham QB Club MVP in 1953 (an award he shared with teammate Hal Easterwood, 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.

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.

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 All-Academic team. In 1976, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Professional playing career

Once his college playing days were over Parker was drafted by both the New York Giants of the NFL and the Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Interprovincial Football Union (which became part of the Canadian Football League 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, 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 Wellinton Mara 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 offense, 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, and seven in total. He was awarded the Schenley Award 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 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 Montreal Alouettes running back Chuck Hunsinger 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 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 BC 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 and post-football career

After his playing days ended, Parker moved into coaching. Parker coached the BC 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 until resigning for health reasons two games into the 1987 CFL season.

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.

Parker's awards and honours

Parker's jersey No. 91 currently hangs on the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos' Commonwealth Stadium. "Jackie Parker Park" in Edmonton, Alberta, was named in his honour. The Jackie Parker Trophy, awarded annually to the Most Outstanding Rookie in the West Division, is named after him.

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 (No. 3) in a poll conducted by Canadian sports network TSN.