Position: Guard
Years: 1954-1956
Place of Birth: Macon, GA
Date of Birth: Apr 03, 1934
Place of Death: Columbia, MD
Date of Death: Jul 18, 2005
Jersey Number: 62
Height: 6-2
Weight: 248
High School: Macon, GA (Unknown)Toledo, OH (Scott HS)
The Ohio State backfield shifts to punt formation. The ball is snapped. The kick is away. Jim Parker breaks downfield beneath the floating ball just as it arrives in the receiver's hands. The Ohio lineman hurls himself into the enemy runner, who folds with the force of the flying tackle. This was a common sight during the Buckeye seasons of the mid-1950s. It was Big Jim Parker's trademark, the blazing sprint, the lunge and the violent tackle. Parker was a huge man, at 248- pounds the largest guard to play for Ohio State up to that time. But despite his size, Parker was cat-quick, explosive and driven by unflinching determination. As a workhorse in the Buckeye line, he made coach Woody Hayes' three-yards-and-a-cloud-of- dust-offense work. A sophomore in 1954, the Macon, Georgia, native opened holes for Buckeye backs as they raced to a perfect 10-game season, the Big Ten Conference title and the national championship. In 1956, Parker was by far the flashiest lineman in the country, and his efforts were rewarded when he became the first Ohio State player to win the Outland Award. After college, Parker recorded several All-Pro seasons with the Baltimore Colts.
