Parnell Dickinson
Encyclopedia
Parnell Dickinson is a former American football
quarterback
who played in the National Football League
(NFL) for one season. Over the course of his career, he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
, completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards, threw one touchdown and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 25.5.
A four-year starting quarterback at Mississippi Valley State University
, Dickinson was drafted by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft
. He served as the backup quarterback behind Steve Spurrier
his rookie season, and saw playing time in eight games, including one start against the Miami Dolphins
. His season ended after suffering an injury in a game against the Cleveland Browns
. He recovered from the injury and tried to make the team in 1977, but was cut, ending his career. After retiring, he became a high school offensive coordinator in Tampa.
at Mississippi Valley State
. He was the quarterback for the team during his freshman year in 1972. His performances that season included a game against the Southern Jaguars
where he completed 15 of 31 passes for 180 yards and rushed for two touchdown
s in a 23–13 win. At the end of the season, Dickinson was named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) all-star team as a quarterback alongside Ralph Brock
. In his sophomore year, Dickinson was awarded the team's top sportsman award, given to the player with the best attitude and morale.
In 1974, his junior year, Dickinson threw for 1,667 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of the season. In his first three seasons, he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference
in total offense
. Dickinson's performances his senior year included a comeback victory over Prairie View A&M, when he threw a touchdown pass with just over a minute left to win the game, 27–26 after being down 26–14 with under four minutes left. After the season ended, he was named to the Black College All-American football team for the second year in a row.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
with the 183rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft
. Buccaneers' head coach John McKay said that Dickinson was considered the second best prospect on his draft board behind Richard Todd. Steve Spurrier
had the starting job wrapped up when he was signed to the team, and as a result Dickinson spent the offseason competing for a backup quarterback spot alongside Bill Cappleman and James Foote. Dickinson started off training camp by throwing the hardest passes of the four quarterbacks, and had a few accuracy issues in the process. Dickinson served as the second-string quarterback throughout the preseason. In a game against the Green Bay Packers
, he led the Buccaneers to their first touchdown as a team. By the end of preseason, his place was on the roster was solidified behind Spurrier, as Cappleman and Foote were cut and replaced by Gary Valbuena and Larry Lawrence
.
Dickinson completed one of five passes for 15 yards in his first professional game against the Houston Oilers after coming in for Spurrier late in the game. The following week, the Buccaneers faced the San Diego Chargers
. In that game, Dickinson again came into the game, rushing three times for 54 yards and throwing an interception that was returned by Tom Hayes for a touchdown. He did not play against the Buffalo Bills
the following week, but Spurrier ended up getting injured, meaning that Dickinson was slated to possibly get his first NFL start against the Baltimore Colts
. Spurrier ended up starting the game, but Dickinson did see playing time against the Colts, completing one of five passes for 12 yards and throwing an interception in a 42–17 loss; he attempted only one pass the following week in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals
.
Two weeks after the Bengals' game, Dickinson was slated to start against the Miami Dolphins
on October 24. In the game, he completed all four passes he attempted for 51 yards, and led a 71 yard touchdown drive. However, he suffered a twisted foot and ankle during the game, and was sidelined for what was then an indefinite amount of time. Dickinson returned two weeks later, failing to complete a pass in a game against the Denver Broncos
, and allowing another interception that was returned by John Rowser
for a touchdown. Dickinson had his most productive outing the following week, completing 7 of 13 passes for 103 yards in a loss to the New York Jets
. His last game of the season was against the Cleveland Browns
. He completed two of three passes for 29 yards in the fourth quarter. After completing the first two passes, he was intercepted by Terry Brown and was hit late after throwing the pass. The result was torn ligaments in his left knee, which ended his season. Despite the season-ending injury, there was still optimism about Dickinson being the Buccaneers' quarterback of the future due to his scrambling ability.
Dickinson went through knee surgery during the offseason, but there was still concern about whether he had a future in the NFL. That was set aside when he was considered to be progressing well in his recovery as of early July 1977. During the Buccaneers' offseason, the quarterbacks on the roster changed entirely, with Dickinson being the only holdover; Gary Huff
was now the starter, and Dickinson was fighting for a backup role alongside Mike Boryla
and Randy Hedberg
. After the Buccaneers lost Boryla and Huff to injuries, the former for the season, Dickinson ended up being the starting quarterback for the team's final preseason game against the Bills. In the game, Dickinson completed 2 of 12 passes for -2 yards and was sacked
three times in a 17–6 loss. A week after the game against the Bills, Dickinson was released by the Buccaneers along with four other players. The Buccaneers re-signed him after Huff got injured in late October, but Dickinson was again released a couple weeks later.
In 1978, Dickinson signed with the New England Patriots
. Their quarterback situation was set, and in order to make his way onto an NFL roster, he joined the team as a wide receiver
. He was released from the team a month later, and ended his career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
of the Canadian Football League
.
in the 1980s after being recruited by fellow Buccaneer Dave Lewis. In 1992, Dickinson became an inaugural member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.
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...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played 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...
(NFL) for one season. Over the course of his career, he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
, completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards, threw one touchdown and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 25.5.
A four-year starting quarterback at Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
, Dickinson was drafted by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
. He served as the backup quarterback behind Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
his rookie season, and saw playing time in eight games, including one start against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His season ended after suffering an injury in a game against the 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...
. He recovered from the injury and tried to make the team in 1977, but was cut, ending his career. After retiring, he became a high school offensive coordinator in Tampa.
College career
Dickinson played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Mississippi Valley State
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football
The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils are the college football team representing the Mississippi Valley State University. The Delta Devils play in NCAA Division I Football Championship as a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.-Alumni in the NFL:...
. He was the quarterback for the team during his freshman year in 1972. His performances that season included a game against the Southern Jaguars
Southern Jaguars
The Southern Jaguars represent Southern University in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.-Conference affiliation:Southern University's athletic teams participate in the Southwestern Athletic Conference which is a part of the NCAA Division I. Football participates in the Football Championship...
where he completed 15 of 31 passes for 180 yards and rushed for two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in a 23–13 win. At the end of the season, Dickinson was named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA) all-star team as a quarterback alongside Ralph Brock
Dieter Brock
Ralph "Dieter" Brock , is a former Canadian Football League and National Football League player and now works as a coach...
. In his sophomore year, Dickinson was awarded the team's top sportsman award, given to the player with the best attitude and morale.
In 1974, his junior year, Dickinson threw for 1,667 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of the season. In his first three seasons, he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
in total offense
Total offense
Total offense is an American football and Canadian football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player...
. Dickinson's performances his senior year included a comeback victory over Prairie View A&M, when he threw a touchdown pass with just over a minute left to win the game, 27–26 after being down 26–14 with under four minutes left. After the season ended, he was named to the Black College All-American football team for the second year in a row.
Professional career
After graduating from college, Dickinson was selected by the expansionExpansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
with the 183rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft
1976 NFL Draft
The 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
. Buccaneers' head coach John McKay said that Dickinson was considered the second best prospect on his draft board behind Richard Todd. Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
had the starting job wrapped up when he was signed to the team, and as a result Dickinson spent the offseason competing for a backup quarterback spot alongside Bill Cappleman and James Foote. Dickinson started off training camp by throwing the hardest passes of the four quarterbacks, and had a few accuracy issues in the process. Dickinson served as the second-string quarterback throughout the preseason. In a game against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, he led the Buccaneers to their first touchdown as a team. By the end of preseason, his place was on the roster was solidified behind Spurrier, as Cappleman and Foote were cut and replaced by Gary Valbuena and Larry Lawrence
Larry Lawrence (American football)
Larry Robert Lawrence, born on April 11, 1949 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, who attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was an American football quarterback in college for the Miami Hurricanes and Iowa Hawkeyes and the NFL Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Undrafted coming...
.
Dickinson completed one of five passes for 15 yards in his first professional game against the Houston Oilers after coming in for Spurrier late in the game. The following week, the Buccaneers faced the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In that game, Dickinson again came into the game, rushing three times for 54 yards and throwing an interception that was returned by Tom Hayes for a touchdown. He did not play against the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the following week, but Spurrier ended up getting injured, meaning that Dickinson was slated to possibly get his first NFL start against the Baltimore Colts
Baltimore Colts
Baltimore Colts may refer to the following football teams:* Baltimore Colts , an All-America Football Conference franchise and National Football League franchise that disbanded after the 1950 season...
. Spurrier ended up starting the game, but Dickinson did see playing time against the Colts, completing one of five passes for 12 yards and throwing an interception in a 42–17 loss; he attempted only one pass the following week in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
.
Two weeks after the Bengals' game, Dickinson was slated to start against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 24. In the game, he completed all four passes he attempted for 51 yards, and led a 71 yard touchdown drive. However, he suffered a twisted foot and ankle during the game, and was sidelined for what was then an indefinite amount of time. Dickinson returned two weeks later, failing to complete a pass in a game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and allowing another interception that was returned by John Rowser
John Rowser
John Felix Rowser was an football player. He played as a defensive back for ten seasons in the NFL. He was a part of the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl II winning team....
for a touchdown. Dickinson had his most productive outing the following week, completing 7 of 13 passes for 103 yards in a loss to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His last game of the season was against the 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...
. He completed two of three passes for 29 yards in the fourth quarter. After completing the first two passes, he was intercepted by Terry Brown and was hit late after throwing the pass. The result was torn ligaments in his left knee, which ended his season. Despite the season-ending injury, there was still optimism about Dickinson being the Buccaneers' quarterback of the future due to his scrambling ability.
Dickinson went through knee surgery during the offseason, but there was still concern about whether he had a future in the NFL. That was set aside when he was considered to be progressing well in his recovery as of early July 1977. During the Buccaneers' offseason, the quarterbacks on the roster changed entirely, with Dickinson being the only holdover; Gary Huff
Gary Huff
Gary Earl Huff , who graduated from Leto Senior High School in Tampa, Florida and played college football and baseball at Florida State University, was a professional football quarterback. He was an All-American at FSU, where he led the nation in touchdown passes in 1971 and 1972...
was now the starter, and Dickinson was fighting for a backup role alongside Mike Boryla
Mike Boryla
Michael Jay Boryla was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1970s. He played college football at Stanford University, where he was the team's MVP during his senior season...
and Randy Hedberg
Randy Hedberg
Randolph R. Hedberg is a American football coach and a former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a position he has held since 2008. Hedberg played as a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL in 1977. He served as the head...
. After the Buccaneers lost Boryla and Huff to injuries, the former for the season, Dickinson ended up being the starting quarterback for the team's final preseason game against the Bills. In the game, Dickinson completed 2 of 12 passes for -2 yards and was sacked
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
three times in a 17–6 loss. A week after the game against the Bills, Dickinson was released by the Buccaneers along with four other players. The Buccaneers re-signed him after Huff got injured in late October, but Dickinson was again released a couple weeks later.
In 1978, Dickinson signed with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. Their quarterback situation was set, and in order to make his way onto an NFL roster, he joined the team as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
. He was released from the team a month later, and ended his career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Later life
After retiring from football, Dickinson became an insurance salesman and opened two daycare centers. He also became offensive coordinator at Tampa Catholic High SchoolTampa Catholic High School
Tampa Catholic High School is a Diocesan, Catholic, coeducational high school located in Tampa, Florida, USA, founded in 1962. It is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg. Its motto is "Veritas and Caritas," which means: "Truth and Charity."...
in the 1980s after being recruited by fellow Buccaneer Dave Lewis. In 1992, Dickinson became an inaugural member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.