Lemar Parrish facts for kids

Lemar R. Parrish (born December 13, 1947) is a former American football player. He was a talented cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Lemar was chosen in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL draft. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1970 to 1977. Later, he joined the Washington Redskins (1978–1982) and the Buffalo Bills (1982).

Early Life and High School Football

Lemar Parrish grew up in Riviera Beach, Florida. He played football at John F. Kennedy High School. After high school, he graduated and continued his football journey.

College Football Career

Lemar played college football for Lincoln University of Missouri. This university is located in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was a running back for four years, from 1966 to 1969.

Setting Records at Lincoln University

In 1969, Lemar set an amazing school record. He returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown against Southwest Missouri State University. This was the longest punt return in the school's history. He also set records for most punt return yards in one game. He had 129 yards on three returns. His average of 43 yards per return in that game was also a record. That year, Parrish averaged 16.8 yards per punt return. His career average was 15.5 yards per return. Both of these are still school records today. Because of his great performance, he was named All-American in 1969.

Professional Football Journey

Starting Strong with the Cincinnati Bengals

After college, the Cincinnati Bengals picked Lemar in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL draft. He was the 163rd player chosen overall. Lemar quickly showed his skills. He was not only a great defensive back but also an excellent kick returner on special teams.

In his first year, 1970, Lemar made a big impact. He had five interceptions and one fumble recovery. He also gained 194 yards returning punts and 482 yards returning kickoffs. He scored two touchdowns that season. One was from a kickoff return, and the other was from returning a blocked field goal. His 482 kickoff return yards came from only 16 returns. This meant he averaged an impressive 30.1 yards per return.

Bengals' Star Player

In 1974, Lemar set a team record for the Bengals. He led the NFL with an average of 18.8 yards per punt return. He had 18 returns for a total of 338 yards that year. During his eight seasons with the Bengals, Lemar was chosen for the Pro Bowl six times. These were in 1970, 1971, and from 1974 to 1977.

After the 1977 season, Lemar had a disagreement about his contract with the Bengals. Because of this, he was traded to the Washington Redskins.

Leaving a Legacy with the Bengals

When Lemar left the Bengals, he was the team's all-time leader in touchdowns scored by "return or recovery." He had 13 such touchdowns. These included four on punt returns, four on interception returns, three on fumble returns, one on a kickoff return, and one on a blocked field goal return. He was also the only player in Bengals history to score two "return or recovery" touchdowns in a single game. He achieved this amazing feat three times!

For example, in a 1970 game against the Bills, he scored on a 95-yard kickoff return. He also scored on an 83-yard blocked field goal return in the same game. In 1972, against the Houston Oilers, he scored on two interception returns, one for 25 yards and another for 33 yards. In 1974, playing against Washington, he scored on a 93-yard punt return and a 47-yard fumble return.

Lemar also left the Bengals as their all-time leader in punt return yards with 1,201. He held the team record for most punt return yards in a single season with 338 in 1974.

Playing for the Washington Redskins

With the Washington Redskins, Lemar's role changed. He was no longer used as a kick returner. However, he still made a big impact as a defensive player. In his first year with the Redskins, he recorded nine interceptions. The next year, he had seven interceptions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl two more times while playing for Washington, in 1979 and 1980. Lemar played with the Redskins until 1981.

Final Season with the Buffalo Bills

Lemar Parrish spent his last professional season with the Buffalo Bills in 1982. After that, he retired from playing football.

Lemar Parrish's Impressive Legacy

In his thirteen seasons in the NFL, Lemar Parrish achieved a lot. He recorded 47 interceptions for 462 yards. He also had thirteen fumble recoveries for 65 return yards. He returned 131 punts for 1,205 yards and 61 kickoffs for 1,504 yards. In total, he scored thirteen touchdowns during his career. He is one of only twenty defensive backs to be chosen for eight Pro Bowls. When he retired, he was tied for 15th all-time in interceptions.

Life After Football

After retiring from football in 1982, Lemar Parrish faced some personal challenges. He sought help and worked hard to overcome these difficulties. He managed to turn his life around.

He later went back to his old college, Lincoln University of Missouri. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education. He also studied psychology. Lemar eventually became the head coach of the Blue Tigers football team. He coached them from 2004 to 2009.

In 2012, Lemar Parrish was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Lincoln University athletic hall of fame.

Coaching Record