Billy Parks
No. 32, 21, 20 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | January 1, 1948||||||||
Died: | July 22, 2009 Hawi, Hawaii, U.S. | (aged 61)||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Culver City (CA) | ||||||||
College: | Long Beach State | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1970 / Round: 6 / Pick: 146 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
William James Parks (January 1, 1948 – July 22, 2009) was an
Early years
Parks attended Culver City High School, where he played quarterback and defensive back. He moved on to Santa Monica College, where he was moved to wide receiver after suffering a preseason concussion.[1] In 1966, he set a school record with 9 touchdown receptions in a season.
In 1967, he transferred to
Parks holds the school marks for receiving yards in a career (2,919), receiving yards in a game (298, versus
In 1986, he was inducted into the Long Beach State University Hall of Fame.
Professional career
San Diego Chargers
Parks was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 6th round (146th overall) of the 1970 NFL draft. He sat the entire 1970 season because of injuries.
In
In 1972, the Chargers coveted running back Duane Thomas, the team traded Parks along with running back Mike Montgomery to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for him on August 1.[3]
Dallas Cowboys
In 1972 he was a backup wide receiver until the eighth game, when he was promoted to replace Lance Alworth.[4] He would have a disappointing regular season with only 18 receptions, but he was a key player in the come from behind win over the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, catching 7 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, in what turned out to be his best game as a professional.
Parks was traded along with
Houston Oilers
During his first season with the Oilers in 1973, he had a career-high of 43 catches. He grabbed another 20 passes in 1974, but only caught 1 pass in 10 games in 1975.
Parks retired after the
Personal life
Parks succumbed to melanoma at age 61 in Hawaii.[5]
References
- ^ "Parks is hailed as eccentric, delightful". The San Gabriel Valley Tribune. August 30, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Plunkett & Vataha On All-Rookie Team". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "National East". Sports Illustrated. September 18, 1972. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Alworth, Hayes Benched For Test Against Lions". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Billy Parks Hall of Fame bio". Long Beach State University Athletics Website. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.