Buddy Parker
Encyclopedia
Raymond "Buddy" Parker is a former football
player and coach in the National Football League
who served as head coach for three teams: the Chicago Cardinals
, the Detroit Lions
and the Pittsburgh Steelers
.
Parker grew up in Kemp
, Texas
, just outside of Dallas, and played collegiately for Centenary College
in Louisiana
for three years beginning in 1932. Parker then signed with the Lions as a fullback in 1935, and during his first season, he helped the team capture the NFL championship. After one more year in the Motor City, he was traded to the Cardinals and spent the next seven seasons with Chicago, also seeing time on defense as a linebacker and defensive back. During the latter two years, he added the duties of backfield coach before becoming a full-time assistant in 1945.
In 1947, the Cardinals captured their first (and only) NFL title, then lost in a blizzard in the following year's championship clash at Philadelphia. On February 3, 1949, he and Phil Handler
were named co-head coaches of the Cardinals, replacing Jimmy Conzelman, who had left to work for a local advertising agency. The unique arrangement, which had Parker handling the offense and Handler the defense, quickly proved to be unworkable, and Handler was returned to the front office on October 25 with the Cardinals sporting a 2-4 record.
In the season's final six games, Parker's team won four games, but a 52-20 loss to the crosstown Bears was quickly followed by Parker's surprising resignation on December 11. Publicly he stated, "I'm tired of being a head coach. The duties are too demanding," but Parker also reportedly was upset with his uncertain job status.
After first reconsidering his abrupt departure, Parker then signed as backfield coach of the Lions January 21, 1950. However, after head coach Bo McMillin
found himself in continuous battles with players during the ensuing campaign, he resigned on December 19, with Parker being promoted to the top job the following day.
Parker and quarterback Bobby Layne
would popularize what became known as the two-minute offense, which allowed a team's offense to quickly move down the field late in a game. In Parker's first year, he led the team to a 7-4-1 record, good for a second place tie in the Western Conference. While the record was slightly better than average, he began bringing in the talent that would turn the team into a dominant force over the next few years.
Parker's superstitions also became legendary, with none of his players ever wearing the number 13, and the team always staying at the Chicago
Hilton hotel when playing either the Bears or Cardinals. That choice of lodging changed after the team was placed one year on the 13th floor and lost.
The 1952 NFL season
saw the Lions defeat the Los Angeles Rams
in a divisional playoff on December 21, then use a strong defensive effort to defeat the injury-plagued Cleveland Browns
on the road by a 17-7 score. In 1953, the two teams again met for the title, with some late heroics by Layne and Jim Doran helping to squeeze out a 17-16 thriller in the December 27th game.
Putting together a 9-2-1 mark in 1954, the Lions and Browns met for the third straight year, but this time, Cleveland battered Detroit by a 56-10 score. The after-effects of the result lasted throughout the following year, when retirement and injuries plunged the Lions to a 3-9 last-place finish. Parker was able to make another run for the title in 1956, but the Lions dropped the season finale to the Bears, the key play coming when Layne was knocked out of the game with a concussion from a hit behind the play that Parker felt was both cheap and illegal.
On July 26, 1957, Parker obtained quarterback Tobin Rote
, a prescient move that would help the team when Layne broke his ankle and Rote then led the Lions to their third championship in six years. However, Parker would not be around to enjoy the championship season after stunning the football world by resigning on August 12 during the team's preseason training camp. In his resignation Parker cited an inability to control his players, but his struggle in obtaining a two-year contract from Lions' management also likely played a role.
After first reports had him replacing Baltimore Colts
head coach Weeb Ewbank, Parker would instead take over the Steelers on August 27, signing a five-year contract. During his first season, Parker led the team to a 6-6 mark and began making countless trades that left the team with few top draft choices over the next six years.
During the 1958 preseason, Parker attempted to get the players' attention by cutting five veterans, including Billy Wells, the team's leading rusher the previous season. He also reunited with Layne, trading for the signal caller on October 6. The price (quarterback Earl Morrall
and two first round draft picks) was steep, but the immediate impact was evident: the team improved to 7-4-1, the team's best record in a decade.
The next two years, the Steelers managed to compete at a .500 level, but dropped to 6-8 in 1961. The next year, the team finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5 mark, then came within one game of competing in the 1963 NFL championship game before falling to the New York Giants. During the latter year, the team challenged despite the retirement of Layne and the tragic off-season death of Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
.
The aging team then began a decline that would continue until the arrival of Chuck Noll
in 1969. During the 1964 NFL season
, Parker's team finished 5-9, but Parker signed a three-year deal on January 22, 1965, saying that the team was not that far away from a championship. He would change his mind when the team dropped its first four exhibition games, and repeated history by resigning on September 5, reportedly telling team owner Art Rooney
, "I can't win with this bunch of stiffs."
Parker would never again coach, spending much of his remaining years in the real estate field, but he did receive job offers. In January 1966, he was under consideration for a Rams' assistant position under George Allen, then was a candidate for head coach of the Washington Redskins
in December 1968.
On March 7, 1982, he underwent surgery for a ruptured ulcer, but complications left him unconscious until his death 15 days later.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who served as head coach for three teams: the Chicago Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
Parker grew up in Kemp
Kemp
- People :* Kemp Hannon, American politician* Albert Edward Kemp , Canadian businessman and politician* Alfred Kempe , English mathematician* Anthony Fenn Kemp , Australian soldier and merchant...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, just outside of Dallas, and played collegiately for Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
for three years beginning in 1932. Parker then signed with the Lions as a fullback in 1935, and during his first season, he helped the team capture the NFL championship. After one more year in the Motor City, he was traded to the Cardinals and spent the next seven seasons with Chicago, also seeing time on defense as a linebacker and defensive back. During the latter two years, he added the duties of backfield coach before becoming a full-time assistant in 1945.
In 1947, the Cardinals captured their first (and only) NFL title, then lost in a blizzard in the following year's championship clash at Philadelphia. On February 3, 1949, he and Phil Handler
Phil Handler
Philip Jacob Handler was a football player and coach who spent his entire professional career in the city of Chicago. On three separate occasions, Handler served as head coach of the Chicago Cardinals, and later as an assistant coach for the Chicago Bears...
were named co-head coaches of the Cardinals, replacing Jimmy Conzelman, who had left to work for a local advertising agency. The unique arrangement, which had Parker handling the offense and Handler the defense, quickly proved to be unworkable, and Handler was returned to the front office on October 25 with the Cardinals sporting a 2-4 record.
In the season's final six games, Parker's team won four games, but a 52-20 loss to the crosstown Bears was quickly followed by Parker's surprising resignation on December 11. Publicly he stated, "I'm tired of being a head coach. The duties are too demanding," but Parker also reportedly was upset with his uncertain job status.
After first reconsidering his abrupt departure, Parker then signed as backfield coach of the Lions January 21, 1950. However, after head coach Bo McMillin
Bo McMillin
Alvin Nugent "Bo" McMillin was an American football player and coach, who served at both the collegiate and professional levels. He played college football at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, where was a three-time All-American at quarterback, and led the Centre Praying Colonels to a...
found himself in continuous battles with players during the ensuing campaign, he resigned on December 19, with Parker being promoted to the top job the following day.
Parker and quarterback Bobby Layne
Bobby Layne
Robert Lawrence "Bobby" Layne was an American football quarterback who played for 15 seasons in the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears in 1948, the New York Bulldogs in 1949, the Detroit Lions from 1950–1958, and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1958–1962...
would popularize what became known as the two-minute offense, which allowed a team's offense to quickly move down the field late in a game. In Parker's first year, he led the team to a 7-4-1 record, good for a second place tie in the Western Conference. While the record was slightly better than average, he began bringing in the talent that would turn the team into a dominant force over the next few years.
Parker's superstitions also became legendary, with none of his players ever wearing the number 13, and the team always staying at the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Hilton hotel when playing either the Bears or Cardinals. That choice of lodging changed after the team was placed one year on the 13th floor and lost.
The 1952 NFL season
1952 NFL season
The 1952 NFL season was the 33rd regular season of the National Football League. Prior to the season, New York Yanks owner Ted Collins sold his team back to the NFL...
saw the Lions defeat the Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in a divisional playoff on December 21, then use a strong defensive effort to defeat the injury-plagued Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on the road by a 17-7 score. In 1953, the two teams again met for the title, with some late heroics by Layne and Jim Doran helping to squeeze out a 17-16 thriller in the December 27th game.
Putting together a 9-2-1 mark in 1954, the Lions and Browns met for the third straight year, but this time, Cleveland battered Detroit by a 56-10 score. The after-effects of the result lasted throughout the following year, when retirement and injuries plunged the Lions to a 3-9 last-place finish. Parker was able to make another run for the title in 1956, but the Lions dropped the season finale to the Bears, the key play coming when Layne was knocked out of the game with a concussion from a hit behind the play that Parker felt was both cheap and illegal.
On July 26, 1957, Parker obtained quarterback Tobin Rote
Tobin Rote
Tobin Cornelius Rote was an American college and professional football player who played quarterback for the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts, and the American Football League's San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos.-Early life:Rote...
, a prescient move that would help the team when Layne broke his ankle and Rote then led the Lions to their third championship in six years. However, Parker would not be around to enjoy the championship season after stunning the football world by resigning on August 12 during the team's preseason training camp. In his resignation Parker cited an inability to control his players, but his struggle in obtaining a two-year contract from Lions' management also likely played a role.
After first reports had him replacing Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
head coach Weeb Ewbank, Parker would instead take over the Steelers on August 27, signing a five-year contract. During his first season, Parker led the team to a 6-6 mark and began making countless trades that left the team with few top draft choices over the next six years.
During the 1958 preseason, Parker attempted to get the players' attention by cutting five veterans, including Billy Wells, the team's leading rusher the previous season. He also reunited with Layne, trading for the signal caller on October 6. The price (quarterback Earl Morrall
Earl Morrall
Earl Edwin Morrall is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Morrall, who also occasionally punted, played 21 seasons in the National Football League as both a starter and reserve. In the latter capacity, he became known as the greatest backup quarterback in NFL...
and two first round draft picks) was steep, but the immediate impact was evident: the team improved to 7-4-1, the team's best record in a decade.
The next two years, the Steelers managed to compete at a .500 level, but dropped to 6-8 in 1961. The next year, the team finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 9-5 mark, then came within one game of competing in the 1963 NFL championship game before falling to the New York Giants. During the latter year, the team challenged despite the retirement of Layne and the tragic off-season death of Eugene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
Eugene Lipscomb
Eugene Allen Lipscomb was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League and a professional wrestler.-Early life:...
.
The aging team then began a decline that would continue until the arrival of Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
in 1969. During the 1964 NFL season
1964 NFL season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to...
, Parker's team finished 5-9, but Parker signed a three-year deal on January 22, 1965, saying that the team was not that far away from a championship. He would change his mind when the team dropped its first four exhibition games, and repeated history by resigning on September 5, reportedly telling team owner Art Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
, "I can't win with this bunch of stiffs."
Parker would never again coach, spending much of his remaining years in the real estate field, but he did receive job offers. In January 1966, he was under consideration for a Rams' assistant position under George Allen, then was a candidate for head coach of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in December 1968.
On March 7, 1982, he underwent surgery for a ruptured ulcer, but complications left him unconscious until his death 15 days later.