Rodney Parker

Rodney Parker (born July 18, 1953) is an American former gridiron football wide receiver who played six seasons professionally. He played college football at Tennessee State and was a sixth round NFL draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in . After being released by them in training camp, Parker signed in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with whom he would play until being released in . In the 1980 season, Parker returned to the National Football League (NFL) by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. After two seasons with them, Parker played two years in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Philadelphia Stars and San Antonio Gunslingers.

Early life and education Parker was born on July 18, 1953, in Mobile, Alabama, where he grew up. He attended Francis T. Nicholls High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is the only attendee of that school ever to play in the National Football League (NFL).

When Parker was 16 years old, he worked as an usher at Super Bowl IV. He worked at the 40-yard line behind the Kansas City Chiefs bench. He made the varsity team for his sophomore season, 1975.

An article on Parker in The Tennessean shortly before his senior season began said the following: Shucks, Rodney Parker, Tennessee State University's senior flanker, isn't so hard to stop. He was stopped twice yesterday on his way to football practice. Once by a pro scout from Los Angeles, then by a scout from Seattle. Once he gets in uniform, and on the football field, and folks in different-colored uniforms try to stop him, though, it's an entirely different matter. He isn't so easily halted then. And it's that quality that is filling up page after page in the scouts' notebooks: 'good speed,' they scribble, 'great balance...good hands.'

Professional career Atlanta Falcons After graduating from Tennessee State, Parker was selected in the sixth round (152nd overall) of the 1978 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. On August 1, in training camp, Parker suffered a strained knee that the Falcons announced would sideline him for several weeks. Parker was placed on waivers on August 15.

Saskatchewan Roughriders Parker was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an American import in early September to replace Ron Jamerson. In his CFL debut, a 29–31 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Parker had a "big night," recording six catches for 108 yards. In his second appearance, Parker "banged up" his knee against the BC Lions on a punt return and strained several ligaments. As a result, he missed several games and was placed on the injured list. He eventually recovered and appeared in three more games, ending his season with five appearances, 15 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns as Saskatchewan finished with a record of 4–11–1.

On March 30, 1979, Parker was re-signed by the Roughriders. Sportswriter Ruddy MacLean of The Leader-Post called him "one of the fastest runners in the CFL." Parker appeared in five games, recording 10 catches for 232 yards before being placed on waivers in August. He finished his CFL career with 25 receptions for 581 yards and two touchdowns in ten games. "At first, it hurt," he said.

In a preseason game against the New York Jets, which the Eagles won 28–13, Parker caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Pisarcik. Parker was the final receiver to be released at roster cuts, and was let go to make room for rookie tight end Ray Sydnor. "I was the last receiver cut," he said. "I was watching 60 Minutes when Carl [Peterson] called again," Parker said. "I went down there and saw him and Jerrold McRae and Randy Williamson (both Tennessee State players). Frankly, I liked Rodney the best of all three. So when I could, I signed him as a free agent for our camp, and he made it all the way to the last cut. When we lost Scott [Fitzkee], we turned to him."

Parker saw significant playing time in the Eagles' 24–0 win against the Washington Redskins three games later, making three catches for 46 yards. The first catch gained 14 yards and was a diving reception at the sideline, which gave the team an important first down.

Entering the final game of the season, against the Dallas Cowboys, the only way the Eagles would not win the division was if they lost by 25 or more points, due to tiebreaker rules. Parker said that shortly before the game, "I was very, very sick at my stomach ... I went to practice, but was so ill I was unable to do anything. I let the coaches know. I didn't think I could even make the trip [to Dallas], but they put me under the care of the trainers and by this morning (the day of the Dallas game) I was feeling much better. The problem by then was strength. I was weak from lack of food, but I stacked up on Snickers bars and told them I'd be ready if they needed me."

After injuries to Harold Carmichael and Charlie Smith, Parker was put in the game and made four receptions for 68 yards, including his first career touchdown, which, according to quarterback Ron Jaworski, "may have been the biggest catch of this season." Jaworski then drove the Eagles down to the Dallas 30-yard line, where they faced a third-and-nine. Parker got the ball once in the game, a 31–16 win, on a "slick-looking double reverse play" where he ran for 12 yards. After Scott Fitzkee was injured in the game, Parker and Harold Carmichael became the only healthy receivers on the team. Due to the injuries, Parker was named a starter for the NFC Championship game against the rival Dallas Cowboys. He recorded four receptions for 31 yards in the game, a 20–7 win, as the Eagles advanced to Super Bowl XV.

Prior to the Super Bowl, against the Oakland Raiders, Parker recalled his experience as a Super Bowl usher eleven years prior in an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News: I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 16 at the time, a student at Nicholls High. I couldn't believe it — me, working at the Super Bowl. The atmosphere was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like a big party in that stadium. There were people from all over the country. Half the people were in purple (for Minnesota), the other half were in red (for Kansas City). Loud? Man, my ears were ringing. When the game was over, I had to help the security guards get the players off the field. It was my job to help move the crowd back from the Kansas City locker room. I remember standing there, watching the players walk past. It was a cold day, you could see their breath. I remember seeing Willie Lanier, No. 63, go by. I remember seeing Otis Taylor and thinking, 'Wow, look how big he is.' They were all shouting and hugging each other, celebrating the win. I was playing high school football at the time and I thought, 'Hey, maybe I'll play in the Super Bowl one of these days.' I never told anybody else because they would've thought I was crazy. What are the odds against you ever playing in a Super Bowl? Now here I am, an usher coming back as a player 10 years later. Amazing, isn't it, the game being held in my hometown and all? It has to be the Lord's will. What else could explain what's happened to me? On the next drive, the Eagles drove down to the Raiders' 40-yard line, where they faced a third down. An NBC Sports article years later described the penalty as the seventh worst call ever made against the Eagles. Philadelphia was forced to punt and the Raiders scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass a few plays later. He survived roster cuts and made the regular season team as a backup receiver. In the first game of the season, a 24–10 victory over the New York Giants, Parker caught a 55-yard touchdown pass which sealed the game for Philadelphia. On the play, quarterback Jaworski went back to throw in shotgun formation and threw a deep pass to Parker, who had gotten past safety Beasley Reece, down the left sideline at around the New York 20-yard line.

In the third game of the season, a 20–14 win over the Buffalo Bills, Parker made an important catch for a first down on third-and-ten which led to the team's first score of the game. He finished the game with two catches for 24 yards, as the Eagles won their third consecutive game. Parker made two catches for 30 yards in week six, a win over the New Orleans Saints, including one that was a single yard short of a touchdown and led to a score. It was the Eagles' sixth straight victory, and made them the only unbeaten and untied team in the league. The Courier-Post reported that Parker "spent several days visiting school career programs and many evenings at school award banquets. He appeared in the national Multiple Sclerosis Society's Read-a-Thon and helped the Philadelphia Police Department celebrate National Police Week with his appearance at police headquarters." "I slanted in and the ball was there," Parker said. It was the final touchdown of his career. The Eagles went on to compile a 10–6 record before losing to the New York Giants 21–27 in the first round of the playoffs.

In August , The Morning News reported that Parker was one of "the most impressive" players in training camp. Later in the month, coach Dick Vermeil said that "if the final cut had to be made today, Parker would still be on the roster as, at worst, a role player." Despite this, he was released as part of the final roster cuts in September.

Later career On September 27, 1982, it was announced by the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) that Parker had been signed to play in the upcoming 1983 USFL season. Although expected to be a starter, he moved down in the depth chart before the season started, making him a backup to Willie Collier. Due to this, he saw very little action in the first two games and did not record a single catch. The Stars compiled a 15–3 record in the season, and went on to play in the championship game, where they lost 22–24 to the Michigan Panthers. On the final play of the championship, Parker caught a two-yard touchdown pass.

Shortly before the season starter, Parker was traded with three others to the San Antonio Gunslingers for undisclosed draft picks. Through four games, he was the team's second leading receiver with 12 catches for 190 yards. He was released on March 21. "There's more to playing receiver than catching the ball," his coach said. "There's blocking and fighting for the ball, being aggressive. Parker just wasn't doing some of the things that needed to be done."

Statistics Season Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1978 SASK 5 ? 15 349 23.3 52 2 1979 SASK 5 ? 10 232 23.2 65 0 1980 PHI 8 0 9 148 16.4 30 1 1981 PHI 11 0 8 168 21.0 55 2 1983 STAR 17 4 13 203 15.6 29 0 1984 SAN 4 ? 12 190 15.8 42 0 Career 50 4 67 1,290 19.3 65 5