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Jackie Parker is one of the most celebrated players to ever play at JCJC.
Parker played on the 1950-51 football teams, helping the Bobcats to a 9-0-1 record and the state title in 1951. Parker was also a standout on the baseball team, helping JCJC to a south division title and state runner-up finish in 1951 and a state championship in 1952.
At JCJC, the Parkers lived in the barracks and ate in the cafeteria. Jackie Parker played football, basketball and baseball, while his wife, Peggy Jo, played basketball and tennis.
Parker then went to Mississippi State University where he achieved even more acclaim. After playing mostly running back at JCJC, he was moved to quarterback at Mississippi State under head coach Murray Warmath and assistant coach Darrell Royal.
He was an All-SEC performer for two years and All-American at Mississippi State. He was the Nashville Banner’s SEC Player of the Year for two years. He led the Bulldogs in rushing, scoring and passing and he also punted, kicked extra points and field goals and was a top defensive player.
Parker set the SEC record for points in a season in 1952 with 120. It was a record that stood until 1981 when Georgia’s Herschel Walker tied it. Georgia’s Garrison Hearst broke the record in 1992 when he scored 126 points.
Parker was drafted by the New York Giants in the 27th round of the 1953 draft, but Royal was named head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos in 1954 and Parker followed him to the Canadian Football League.
Parker guided the Eskimos to the Grey Cup title in 1954, 1955 and 1956. He was an outstanding running back, quarterback and defensive back. He was a Western Conference All-Star as a running back in 1954, 1957 and 1959 and as a quarterback in 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960 and 1961.
He won six consecutive Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophies as the West’s most outstanding player from 1956-61 and seven overall. He was awarded the Schenley Award as Canadian football’s most outstanding player in 1957, 1958 and 1960.
After the 1962 season, Parker was traded to the Toronto Argonauts where he played from 1963-65. He finished his playing career with the British Columbia Lions in 1968. He was an assistant coach with the team, but came out of retirement to play quarterback one more time when injuries hampered the team.
By the time he retired, Parker had scored a then CFL record 750 points.
After his playing days, Parker coached in the CFL. He coached the Lions for part of the 1969 season and all of 1970. He served as the Lions general manager until 1975. He coached the Eskimos from 1983 until two games into the 1987 season when he resigned for health reasons two games into the season.
Parker’s No. 91 jersey is in the Wall of Honour at the Eskimos’ Commonwealth Stadium. “Jackie Parker Park” in Edmonton was named in his honor.
He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1971, the Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1972, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1976, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and was part of the inaugural class of the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Parker died on Nov. 7, 2006, of throat cancer.
His widow, Peggy Jo, still resides in Edmonton.
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