Jim Parker played his first three years of high school football at Ballard-Hudson, a Macon high school for African Americans during segregation, but played his senior season at Scott High in Toledo, Ohio. Parker was recruited to play guard at Ohio State under coaching legend Woody Hayes and his physical “three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust” offense. Parker was the perfect fit, and his success in the trenches helped Hayes achieve his first national championship in 1954. The next season, Parker helped pave the way for Heisman Trophy winner Howard Cassidy in the Buckeys’ backfield. Parker earned a unanimous All-American selection, won the Outland Trophy and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. The Baltimore Colts drafted Parker with the No. 8 overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft. Parker played offensive tackle from 1957-62 and earned five Pro Bowl appearances in that span. He shifted over to guard for the remainder of his career and earned three more Pro Bowl selections. Parker was a member of the Colts’ 1958 and 1959 NFL championship teams and was a nine-time first-team All-Pro. He was named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1973, Parker became the first former Georgia high school football player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
