With the 301st pick in the OTC All-Time NFL Draft, Statman32 selects...
Jim Parker, OT/OG, Baltimore Colts
From 1957 until 1962, Parker played as an offensive tackle. He was selected to five Pro Bowl teams in those six years. In 1963 Parker moved to the offensive guard position, as a favor to his college coach Woody Hayes, to make room for another former Buckeye, Bob Vogel. Parker was selected to three more Pro Bowls from the guard position.
Many consider Parker to be the greatest lineman to ever play pro football. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973, his first year of eligibility. He was the first full-time offensive lineman so inducted. In 1994, Parker was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1999, he was ranked number 24 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, second among guards behind John Hannah, and third among offensive linemen behind Hannah and Anthony Munoz, both of whom began their careers well after Parker retired.
Quote:
The straightest path to Johnny Unitas made a half-circle detour around left tackle. Big Jim Parker wouldn't have it any other way. He was the quarterback's blindside protector, the man entrusted with the continued good health and welfare of Baltimore's most valuable property. And he diligently made sure that nobody violated that trust for 11 outstanding NFL seasons.
Parker is considered by many historians the greatest offensive tackle in pro football history-and the greatest guard. He spent his first 5 1/2 seasons working over the leagues big and fast defensive ends and the next 5 1/2 at guard, where his blocking responsibilities changed considerably. It didn't seem to matter. Parker was a Pro Bowl regular from 1959 to '66 and a Hall of Famer in the making no matter where the Colts chose to position him.
The 6-3, 273-pound former Ohio State star not only was one of the biggest linemen of his day, he was the fastest big man. He was like a human avalanche when he exploded off the line on a straight running play and a relentless bulldozer when he cleared traffic on power sweeps, which came all too often for opposing linebackers and defensive backs. But Parker was at his best as an impenetrable pass-blocker. His massive body, great balance, quick feet and superior blocking technique held back all rushers, the more the merrier.
It's not surprising that Parker's arrival coincided with the Colts rise to prominence in the 1950s. They won consecutive NFL championships in 1958 and 1959 and regrouped after a four-year falloff to reach the league title game in 1964. Conscientious, hard-working and durable (he didn't miss a game over his first 10 pro seasons), Parker became the model that young offensive linemen studied to learn their craft.
* 5x Pro Bowl selection (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994)
* 5x All-Pro selection (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994)
* Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
* Led NFL in receptions in 1989, 1992, and 1993
* Led NFL in receiving TDs in 1992 and 1994
Chuck Noll - With more Super Bowl wins than any other coach in NFL history (4), Chuck Noll was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1993. He coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 until 1991 and compiled a career record of 209-156-1.
After playing guard and linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, Noll worked as an assistant coach for the Chargers and Colts. In 1968, when Noll was the defensive coordinator for the Colts, they set an NFL record for fewest points allowed in a season. Later, he was hired to lead the Steelers prior to the start of the 1969 season.
Noll’s Steel Curtain Defense was overwhelming, and he was particularly skilled at selecting players in the NFL draft. In 1974, Noll selected four future Hall of Famers with his first five picks (Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Jack Lambert and Mike Webster). No other team has ever drafted more than two Hall of Famers in a single draft.
Re: Official OTC All-Time NFL Draft
