About Don Parish
Lived 1948 – 2018 (aged 70). Don Parish was an American american football player.
Donald Edward Parish (January 4, 1948 – May 9, 2018) was an American professional football linebacker. Parish played at Stanford, where he was the Pop Warner Trophy winner in 1969. He was chosen 91st overall in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Parish played three seasons for the Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Denver Broncos.
He had three brothers, Kenneth, Cecil and John.
The St. Louis Quarterback Club selected Parish as the Cardinals' team Rookie of the Year in December 1970.
As a member of the Cardinal, Parish set the school record for single-game tackles against Oregon State in 1968, making 23 stops, a mark he would hold for 18 years until Dave Wyman surpassed it. As a senior, he was selected for first-team All-America honors by the AP, The Sporting News and Time.
In 1971, then-Stanford coach John Ralston called Parish "the finest linebacker" he had ever coached, adding: "In his three seasons (at Stanford), he has never given anything less than 110-percent effort." He suffered from traumatic brain injury during his football days, his brother, Kenneth, told a reporter in 2021. Unhoused in Los Angeles for many years, Parish died at age 70 on May 9, 2018, in Paso Robles, California.
In June 2022, his alma mater, PRHS, named its football field in honor of Parish.
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Important facts
People in Don Parish's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Don Parish's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Don Parish?
American football player (1948-2018)
When was Don Parish born?
Don Parish was born on 4 January 1948 in Beaumont.
When did Don Parish die?
Don Parish died on 9 May 2018.
What was Don Parish's occupation?
Don Parish was an american football player.
What nationality was Don Parish?
Don Parish was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Don Parish (American football)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Don Parish. https://biography.guide/don-parish/
MLA: "Don Parish." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/don-parish/.
Chicago: "Don Parish." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/don-parish/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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