Football Daily

Born May 17, 1912, in Portsmouth, Virginia, was Clarence “Ace” Parker, Duke University’s quarterback/halfback from 1934 through 1936. The National Football Foundation shares that Ace was one of the most versatile stars to ever set foot on the college gridiron, playing quarterback, halfback, wide receiver, punter, kicker, safety while also returning punts and kickoffs. His athletic prowess extended to Blue Devil basketball and baseball teams as well. Parker played under Hall of Fame coach Wallace Wade, as Ace led the Blue Devils football team to a 24-5 record and two Southern Conference Championships during his career. In 1935, he averaged 7.4 yards rushing while punting for an average of 46.7 yards. During his 1936 All-American season, he averaged 5.8 yards for a total of 647 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. He was an early superstar with big time splash plays that season which included when he posted a 70-yard punt return against North Carolina State and a 105-yard kickoff return against North Carolina, which remains a Duke school record. His punting average was 42.2, including 11 punts that went out of bounds inside the 10-yard line.The College Football Hall of Fame proudly placed a display in honor of Ace Parker into their legendary museum in 1955. After leaving Duke Parker went on to a pro career in two sports. He played 94 games as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1937-38. Ace was a second round pick in the 1937 NFL Draft according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bio on him. He played pro football for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1937-41, earning League MVP honors in 1940 and taking part in the first-ever televised football game in 1939. Ace was All-NFL in 1938 through the 1940 seasons. His service to his country during World War II interrupted his pro career but in 1945 he returned for one final NFL season with the Boston Yanks. Parker was one of a handful of former NFL players lured to the rival AAFC in 1946, where he played for the New York Yankees, taking the new franchise to the AAFC Eastern Title. Ace Parker's brilliant pro career was memorialized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they enshrined him in 1972. We got a chance to talk quite a bit about Ace Parker with historian Larry Schmitt in our Football by Numbers podcast on the greatest players to wear jersey number 7.