One of the CFL’s greatest legends passes away

One of the icons of Canadian football passed away on Tuesday, after a battle with throat cancer, his passing brings to an end an era of football very different from the game today.

Jackie Parker, Ole Spaghetti legs or the fast freight from Mississippi State, as he was known as, was one of the defining players of the Canadian game, from his debut in an Eskimo uniform in 1954; Parker was one of the dominant players on both sides of the ball through the fifties and sixties.

He played for three CFL teams in his amazing career in the Canadian game stretching from 1954- 1968, donning the colours of the Eskimos, the Argonauts and the Lions before he called it a career. Named as a multiple all star and inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Parker seemed to define the game when he took to the field.

Parker brought crowds to their feet in every stadium he played, equally skilled as a quarterback, halfback and a defensive back. He came to Canada from Mississippi State, a Tennessean who moved to the land to the north and became a fixture for decades to follow.

It was an era when the CFL regularly would outbid the NFL for players, offering a better salary than the norm from the American league of the day. Hard as it seems is to believe now with an NFL that is an industry all to itself, but back in the fifties the CFL represented stability and pretty good living. And some pretty damn fine football.

When Parker’s playing days would come to an end he made the move into the coaching ranks, becoming an assistant coach with the Lions in 1968 and taking on the head coaching job in 69. He served as General Manager of the Leos from 1971-75, a major figure in the Vancouver sports scene.

He left the football wars for a bit, returning in 1983 as head coach of the Eskimos until two games into the 1987 season. From there he would become the living legend of Canadian Football, a testimony to the skill and desire needed to excel in the game.

His passing leaves a bit of a void in the bridge between eras of the Canadian game, many of today’s CFL players probably have little knowledge of his achievements or the joy he brought to CFL fans from coast to coast during his hey days.

As the CFL heads towards its annual Grey Cup festival and the chance to celebrate all things great about the game, there will no doubt be more than a few moments dedicated to the memory and memories of Ole Spaghetti legs, one of the true greats of the Canadian game.

The press file on Parker's passing

Hall of Famer Parker dies

Jackie Parker, 74: CFL Legend
Former MSU football great Parker dead at 74
CFL Legend Jackie Parker passes away at 74
Legend dies
Legendary Eskimo Parker passes away
Parker, Legend dies of cancer
CFL mourns the passing of a Legend

The above post first appeared on my Twelve Men on the Field Blog, for more CFL items check it out.