Parker, "Ace" (Clarence McK.)
Football
b. May 17, 1912, Portsmouth, VA
An All-American at Duke in 1936, Parker usually played tailback in the single wing, but was sometimes moved to wingback so he could be used as a blocker or pass receiver. His coach, Wallace Wade, said of him, "He is one of the greatest players I've ever coached. . . He was a great open-field runner, a great passer, a great pass receiver, a great punter, and a great safety man."
After playing 38 games with baseball's Philadelphia Athletics in 1937, Parker joined the Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL. As a professional, he was used primarily as a passer and kicker. He was an exceptionally accurate punter who could often put the ball out of bounds inside the opposition's 10-yard line.
Parker also played major league baseball in 1938 and he continued to play in the minor leagues until 1940, when he suffered a badly broken left ankle. He didn't expect to play much football that fall, but Dr. Mal Stevens, the Brooklyn coach, designed a special 10-pound brace for the ankle that Parker wore for the first three weeks of the season. He won the Carr Trophy as the league's player of the year.
In 1942, Parker entered the army. He returned late in the 1945 season to play for the NFL's Boston Yanks and he finished his career with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference in 1946.
During his 7 seasons as a professional, Parker completed 335 of 718 passes for 4,701 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also punted 123 times for a 39.5 average; kicked 32 extra points and 1 field goal; returned 16 punts for 153 yards, a 9.6 average, and 1 touchdown; returned 3 kickoffs for 71 yards, a 23.7 average; caught 8 passes for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns; intercepted 8 passes and returned them for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns.