Ace Parker 1912-2013 |

Baseball-Reference.com

Pro football HOFer Ace Parker died Wednesday in his hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia. Parker played professionally in baseball and football in the 1930s and 1940s, continuing in pro baseball into the early 1950s. At his death, Parker was the oldest living US-born major-leaguer.

More on Ace after the jump.

Despite an All-American selection as a tailback for Duke University, baseball was Parker’s first love. Debuting professionally in the majors, Parker played the outfield, shortstop and second base for Connie Mack‘s 1937 Athletics. Sent down to the minors in June, Parker appeared briefly for his hometown Portsmouth club in the Class B Piedmont League before getting called up again in July.

Perhaps owing to a .117 batting average in 100 PA that first season, Parker decided to give pro football a whirl in the autumn of 1937. Despite appearing in only 4 games for the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers, Parker made 2nd team All-NFL as a 5-foot-10, 178 lb quarterback. Though he originally intended his NFL stint as a one-season lark, 1937 would be the first of six seasons (interrupted by military service during World War II) playing both pro baseball and pro football.

Parker followed up his 1937 NFL debut with four seasons as the starting pivot for the Brooklyn club, making first team All-NFL in 1938, 1939 and 1940. After the war, Parker appeared for the 1945 Boston Yanks before finishing his gridiron career leading the 1946 New York Yankees to the All-America Football Conference championship game. Parker was a 1972 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Parker’s last major league appearance would be in 1938, but he continued to toil in the minors until 1952, only once (in 1940) rising above Class B. Other than that 1940 stint with the AA Syracuse Chiefs, Parker played his entire minor league career in familiar places, with his hometown Portsmouth Cubs, and in his college town with the Durham Bulls of the Carolina League.

Parker debuted on Apr 24, 1937 as a pinch-runner and scored one of three 9th inning runs as the As rallied to beat the Senators 6-4. A week later, Parker appeared as a pinch-hitter and homered off Wes Ferrell in his first major-league plate appearance. His only other career HR would come 3 months after that, against the Indians’ Whit Wyatt in a 3-hit, 4-RBI game, leading the As to an 11-7 win. Parker would have one other 3-hit game (and another 4-RBI performance) in a 14-11 win over the Red Sox in 1938.

A couple of final notes. Ace Parker was the last living player to have appeared in a game with or against Rogers Hornsby. With his passing, there remain only 3 living players who played in the 1930s: Bobby Doerr (whose major league debut came 4 days before Parker’s); and two truly obscure pitchers, Art Kenney and Mike Palagyi, with but 3 major league games between them.

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Richard Chester

10 years ago

Correction Doug. In 1946 the New York Football Yankees made it to the AAFC championship game but lost to the Browns. Parker is an answer to a trick question: who are the only 3 HOFers to homer in their first PA? The answer is Earl Averill, Hoyt Wilhelm and Parker. Of course the question did not say which Hal of Fame. Parker was the oldest still living professional football player at the time of his demise.

Reply to Richard Chester

Parker and Doerr played in the same game on 4-30-37. That had been the furthest back in time that 2 still living players had played in the same game. That game now becomes 8-18-39 when Doerr and Palagyi played in the same game.

Author

Doug

Palagyi entered his lone major-league game, trailing 3-1 to start the 9th inning, and facing Doc Cramer, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, and Joe Cronin. Talk about a baptism by fire. The good news – he didn’t allow a hit. The bad news – he failed to record an out, going walk, plunk, walk and walk. Here’s how Palagyi fares among pitchers who never recorded an out. His performance wasn’t even the worst of its type in that season (#4 on the list is omitted as he was a position player). Rk Player BF IP From To Age G GS H… Read more »

Thanks for the correction, Richard.

Actually, my mistake was not in the outcome of the game but in missing a word at the end of the sentence. It’s fixed now.

brp

It’s an interesting note that this post immediately followed a post with the words “Baby-faced aces”. From the young aces to the oldest Ace.

Editor

birtelcom

Ace played multiple games at short, third, second, left and center, yet played fewer than 100 total in his career. He’s one of only seven men since 1901 to play more than one game at all those particular positions while finishing with fewer than 100 career games played. There’s a term in economics known as “marginal utility” — that sounds about right for describing these guys by major league position.

Reply to birtelcom

Despite fewer than 100 games (and only 228 PA) in 1937 and 1938, Parker stayed with the big club the whole time, save for one month in Portsmouth in 1937.

I suppose his age (25), being a college grad, and his athletic pedigree all contributed to Mack’s view that he could succeed immediately in the majors. But, tough to do well sitting on the bench for most of those two years.

Dr. Doom

This was an outstanding post. Thanks for the info on a player I knew nothing about in terms of baseball, but was aware of from football. Huh. And Cal Hubbard and Bo Jackson usually get all the glory!

Reply to Dr. Doom

There have been at least two dozen players who played pro baseball, in the majors, and pro football, not necessarily in the NFL. One of them, Charlie Berry, also officiated in both sports.

Right. Even in recent history, there are three notable ones I can think of (Jackson, Deion Sanders, and Brian Jordan). Plus, of course, Jim Thorpe. I was just naming the guys that usually get the headlines, in my experience.

no statistician but

Hey, what about George Halas?

Reply to no statistician but

Here’s a few more: Christy Mathewson, Rube Waddell, Ernie Nevers and Vic Janowicz. There also a number of MLers who were outstanding college football players.

Don’t forget Jim Thorpe. Another football HOFer (college and pro) who had rather less success on the diamond.

Just being a great athlete doesn’t mean you can succeed in baseball. To do that, you need to be a “ballplayer” (to paraphrase John Kruk).

John Autin

Good job, Doug. A few notable teammates from Parker’s first minor-league club, the 1937 Portsmouth Cubs: — Harry Brecheen: “The Cat” followed a 6-22 sophomore season with a 21-6 turn in that class-B league. He continued pitching well in higher levels, but didn’t get a real shot in the bigs until 1943, age 28. Went 40-15 in his first 3 seasons, then was the hero of the ’46 Series. — Stu Flythe: Familiar to all who have done P-I searches for the worst ERA or worst control in a season or career, Flythe pitched to a 13.04 mark in 39.1… Read more »

Reply to John Autin

What is it with the name Nicholson? Before Swish, there was Bill Nicholson (1917-22), one of only 11 players in those seasons to strike out in more than 10% of PAs (min. 300 games). Then Swish (1936-53), one of only 15 players in those seasons to strike out in more than 12.5% of PAs (min 3000 PA). Then, Dave Nicholson (1960-67), the only player in those seasons to strike out in more than one-third of PAs (min. 1500 PAs). Of course, he’s the only retired player to ever do that, and only one active player (Kelly Shoppach) is currently on… Read more »

JasonZ

This is when I like to mention Jim Brown.

Common knowledge that he is one of the greatest
football players ever.

But also a hall of famer in lacrosse and considered by many the greatest player
ever.

The greatest ever in two different sports?!?!?

Crazy.