Ace Parker was the son of Ernest and Mabel Parker and grew up near Norfolk, Virginia. He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in
Portsmouth, graduating with the class of 1933 and starring in five sports. He enrolled at Duke as a freshman in 1933.
At Duke, Ace competed in three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. From 1934 - 1936, he starred at tailback, doing most of the running
and passing for Duke. He was second team All-American in 1935 and consensus All-American first team in 1936. He placed sixth in the
Heisman Trophy voting in 1936. Parker was a great open-field runner and probably the best punter in college football at the time. His 105 yard
kickoff return against North Carolina is still a Duke school record. Parker also stood out as a baseball player at Duke, playing in 1935-1936.
He was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1963 and was an
inaugural member of the Duke University Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 1975.
Parker was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers as the third pick of the second round in the 1937 NFL draft. Sammy Baugh
was the only passer drafted ahead of Parker. Parker, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics of Major League Baseball beginning in 1937,
originally had no intention of playing in the NFL. Baseball was the glamour pro sport at the time and the NFL had a rough, vulgar reputation.
But, perhaps because of his 0.117 batting average that year, he asked for and received permission from the A's to play football. Parker thus
became a true two-sport phenomenon, playing both Major League Baseball and NFL football in both 1937 and 1938. Parker, playing
various infield positions, batted 0.179 over two seasons with the A's , scoring 20 runs with 25 RBI over 94 games.
When Ace Parker joined the Dodgers in 1937, Brooklyn had been a perennial NFL cellar-dweller in the East Conference since 1930.
With his running, passing, and punting ability, he brought them instant credibility. He led the team in passing in 1937 and every year he played.
In 1938, he led Brooklyn to a 0.500 record and led the NFL in passing yards with 865. When legendary coach Jock Sutherland joined the
Dodgers in 1940, Parker's career took off. In 1940, he threw for 817 yards and 10 TDs, rushed for 306 yards, caught 3 passes, including
2 for TDs, and led the league in points after touchdowns. The Dodgers finished only one game out of first, with an 8-3 record, and Parker
was named the NFL MVP. In 1941, Parker continued to shine, but the Dodgers again finished second to the New York Giants, despite
beating their New York rivals twice during the season. Parker's NFL career went on hold in 1942, as he, like many NFL players, left football to
enlist in the Armed Services. After serving for over two years, Parker returned to the NFL, this time with the short-lived
Boston Yanks, but at age 33, he took on a minor role.
He rejoined the former owner of the Dodgers, Dan Topping, in 1946 as part of the New York Yankees of the new
All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Coached by former
Washington Redskins coach Ray Flaherty and led by Parker, the Yankees won the AAFC East, giving Parker his
only division title in pro football. The Yankees met the powerful Cleveland Browns in the championship game. The Yankees played
well, but eventually succumbed to the Browns. Parker was 8 of 18 passing, for only 81 yards and an interception. Parker retired
after the game, completing a fine career at age 34. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
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