Most that closely follow Pro Football Hall of Fame happenings expected New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to be the coach/contributor finalist. Or Mike Shanahan. Or Tom Coughlin. Basically, an individual that did their NFL thing in recent memory was the favorite. It’s become increasingly surprising for the senior and coach/contributor committees to seriously consider anyone that played, coached, or contributed before the birth of those committee members. 12 semifinalists were considered: Parker, Kraft, Shanahan, Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Loyd Wells, and John Wooten. Multiple votes were needed from the 12-person committee and Parker was the one standing at the end.
Buddy Parker is certainly deserving. He should’ve been inducted long ago for turning the Detroit Lions into something of a dynasty in the 1950s. Considering the franchise’s performance since his run with the team, Parker’s success with the Lions should be considered miraculous. He led the team to NFL titles in 1952 and 1953. The Lions defeated the Paul Brown-led Cleveland Browns in both games. The two teams played in the championship game a third consecutive time in 1954. Brown and the Browns won that one. It was the first time Parker had lost to Brown. Many consider Paul Brown the greatest coach in NFL history. He was 1-4 against Buddy Parker, 1-2 in championship games. That success against Brown alone should’ve put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame long ago. During his six years in Detroit, Parker was 50-24-2 (including playoffs).
In a stunning move prior to the start of the 1957 season, Parker abruptly resigned. Offensive coordinator George Wilson stepped in and coached the Lions to their third title of the decade. Wilson may have coached the Lions during the season but it was Parker that built the team. In particular, he acquired quarterback Tobin Rote immediately prior to leaving the team.
Parker joined the Pittsburgh Steelers the same year he left the Lions. He coached the Steelers for eight seasons. He was 51-47-6 during those eight years with no playoff appearances. Unless there were conference ties, only two teams made the playoffs in those days. Unlike today, there wasn’t playoff invites for half the teams in the league. The Steelers were dreadful for nearly all of their first quarter century in the league. Parker quickly made them competitive.
Parker won. He won an NFL title as a player with the Detroit Lions in 1935. He coached the Lions to two titles in the 1950s. He built the Lions team that would win a third title of the decade. He was also one of the premier defensive innovators of his era. Those innovations were necessary to slow/shut down the challenging offenses of Paul Brown and the Cleveland Browns. Parker’s incredible success against Brown is an indication of the impact of those innovations. Put simply, Parker won. He won a lot. Now, he’s finally on the doorstep of where’s he’s long belonged.
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