Lemar Parrish facts for kids

Lemar R. Parrish, born on December 13, 1947, is a former American football player. He was a talented cornerback and return specialist. Lemar played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. His teams included the Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins, and Buffalo Bills. He also played college football for the Lincoln Blue Tigers.

Early Life and High School Football

Lemar Parrish grew up in Riviera Beach, Florida. He played football at John F. Kennedy High School. He was a standout player during his high school years.

College Football Career Highlights

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

Setting College Records

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 his school's history. He also set records for:

• Most punt return yards in one game (129 yards on three returns).
• Highest average yards per punt return in that game (43 yards per return).

That year, Lemar 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 play, he was named an All-American in 1969.

Lemar Parrish's NFL Journey

After college, Lemar Parrish was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals. This happened in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL draft. He quickly showed how good he was. He played as a defensive back and also on special teams as a kick returner.

Cincinnati Bengals: A Star is Born

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 30.1 yards per kickoff return average was incredible!

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 was selected to the Pro Bowl six times while with the Bengals. This shows how consistently great he was. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1970, 1971, and from 1974 to 1977.

Lemar left the Bengals after the 1977 season. He was traded to the Washington Redskins. He was the Bengals' 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.
• One on a blocked field goal return.

He was also the only Bengals player to score two "return or recovery" touchdowns in one game. He did this three times!

• In 1970, he scored on a 95-yard kickoff return and an 83-yard blocked field goal return against the Bills.
• In 1972, he scored on two interception returns (25 and 33 yards) against the Houston Oilers.
• In 1974, he scored on a 93-yard punt return and a 47-yard fumble return against Washington.

Lemar also held the Bengals' record for most punt return yards. He had 1,201 total yards. His 338 punt return yards in 1974 was also a franchise record for a single season.

Washington Redskins: Continued Success

When Lemar joined the Washington Redskins, he wasn't used as a kick returner anymore. But he still made a huge difference. In his first year with them, he had nine interceptions! The next year, he had seven. He continued to be a Pro Bowl player. He was selected two more times with Washington, in 1979 and 1980. Lemar played for the Redskins until 1981.

Buffalo Bills: Final Season

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

Lemar Parrish's NFL Legacy

Over his 13 seasons in the NFL, Lemar Parrish achieved a lot. He recorded:

• 47 interceptions for 462 yards.
• 13 fumble recoveries for 65 return yards.
• 131 punt returns for 1,205 yards.
• 61 kickoffs for 1,504 yards.
• A total of 13 touchdowns.

He is one of only twenty defensive backs in NFL history to be selected to the Pro Bowl eight times. This shows he was one of the best players of his time.

Life After Football

After his amazing NFL career, Lemar Parrish went back to college. He returned to his old school, Lincoln University of Missouri. He earned a bachelor's degree in physical education. He also studied psychology.

Later, Lemar became the head coach for the Lincoln 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.