Willie Parker facts for kids
Parker with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 39 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | November 11, 1980 Clinton, North Carolina, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Clinton (NC) | ||||||||||||
| College: | North Carolina (1999–2003) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Willie Everett Parker Jr. (born November 11, 1980) is a former American football player. He was a running back for six seasons. Willie played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina. The Steelers signed him in 2004 even though he was not picked in the draft.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Willie Parker grew up in Clinton, North Carolina. He was a great athlete at Clinton High School. He played both football and ran track. In football, he was named All-Conference and All-Region twice.
As a junior, he ran for 1,329 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He helped his team win the state AA championship. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,801 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was also named the County Player of the Year. Willie was very fast, running the 100-meter dash in 11.1 seconds.
College Football Career
Willie went to the University of North Carolina. In his first year, he ran for 355 yards. However, he did not play as much in his later years. The coach wanted him to gain more weight. Also, a sad event affected him. His best friend from home was murdered during Willie's second year. This made it hard for him to adjust to college life.
Despite limited playing time, Willie still had some strong games. In his second year, he ran for 400 yards. He had a great game in the Peach Bowl against Auburn. He rushed for 131 yards and scored a touchdown. He also had a 77-yard touchdown run against Maryland.
In his junior year, he played in 11 games. He ran for 236 yards and scored one touchdown. He also caught 12 passes for 104 yards. He had a 50-yard touchdown run against Syracuse.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | Games Played | Att | att/g | yds | avg | yds/g | TD |
| 2000 | North Carolina | 9 | 84 | 9.3 | 355 | 4.2 | 39.4 | 4 |
| 2001 | North Carolina | 9 | 83 | 9.2 | 400 | 4.8 | 44.4 | 3 |
| 2002 | North Carolina | 11 | 70 | 6.3 | 236 | 3.4 | 21.4 | 1 |
| 2003 | North Carolina | 9 | 48 | 5.3 | 181 | 3.8 | 20.1 | 0 |
| Career | 38 | 285 | 7.5 | 1,172 | 4.1 | 30.8 | 8 |
Professional Football Career
Joining the Pittsburgh Steelers
Willie Parker was not chosen by any team in the 2004 NFL Draft. This means he was an undrafted free agent. But the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him. In his first year, he was a backup player. He played behind other running backs like Jerome Bettis.
In a game against the Buffalo Bills in 2004, Willie got a chance to play. He ran for 102 yards in just three quarters. This impressive performance caught the eye of his coach, Bill Cowher.
In 2005, Willie became the starting running back. This happened because other players were injured. In his first game as a starter, he ran for 161 yards. He followed that with another game over 100 yards. Coach Cowher then made him the permanent starter.
Willie finished the 2005 season with 1,202 rushing yards. He also scored 4 touchdowns. He was the first Steelers running back since 2001 to run for over 1,000 yards.
Super Bowl XL Champion
In Super Bowl XL, Willie Parker made history. He scored a 75-yard touchdown run. This was the longest rushing play ever in a Super Bowl game! It helped the Steelers take a big lead.
Willie finished that Super Bowl with 93 yards on only 10 carries. He averaged 9.3 yards per carry. This was one of the best averages in Super Bowl history. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, and Willie gave his championship ring to his father.
Continued Success and Records
In 2006, Willie signed a big contract with the Steelers. This showed they believed in him as their main running back. He continued to have amazing games.
On November 12, 2006, he ran for 213 yards against the New Orleans Saints. He almost broke the Steelers' record for most rushing yards in a single game. Later that year, on December 7, he broke that record! He gained 223 yards against the Cleveland Browns. He became the only Steelers running back to have two games with over 200 rushing yards in the same year.
Willie played in all 16 games in 2006. He rushed for 1,494 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. He also caught 3 touchdowns. His total of 16 touchdowns broke a Steelers team record. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl game that year.
In 2007, Willie continued to play well. He rushed for 1,316 yards. He had eight games where he ran for over 100 yards. This led the league. He earned his second Pro Bowl invitation. However, he broke his leg late in the season.
Later Steelers Years and Injuries
After his broken leg, there were questions about how well Willie would recover. In the first game of 2008, he showed he was back. He ran for 138 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
However, he suffered a knee injury later that season. This caused him to miss five games. Even with injuries, he still had four games with over 100 rushing yards. He finished the season with 791 yards and five touchdowns.
The Steelers made it to the Super Bowl again in 2008 (Super Bowl XLIII). Willie played, but the team relied more on passing the ball. The Steelers won their sixth championship ring in Super Bowl XLIII.
In 2009, Willie started the first three games. But he got another injury, called "turf toe." Another running back, Rashard Mendenhall, played well while Willie was out. Mendenhall then became the main starter. 2009 was Willie's last year playing for the Steelers.
Other Teams and Retirement
In 2010, Willie signed with the Washington Redskins. But he was released before the season started. He also signed with the Virginia Destroyers in 2011, a team in a different league. However, he never played for them.
On August 3, 2012, Willie Parker officially announced his retirement from football.
Professional Statistics
Regular season stats
| Year | Team | Games Played | Att | att/g | yds | avg | yds/g | TD |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 32 | 4 | 186 | 5.8 | 23.2 | 0 |
| 2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 15 | 255 | 17 | 1,202 | 4.7 | 80.1 | 4 |
| 2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 337 | 21.1 | 1,494 | 4.4 | 93.4 | 13 |
| 2007 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 15 | 321 | 21.4 | 1,316 | 4.1 | 87.7 | 2 |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 210 | 19.1 | 791 | 3.8 | 71.9 | 5 |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14 | 98 | 7.0 | 389 | 4 | 27.8 | 0 |
| Career | 79 | 1,253 | 15.9 | 5,378 | 4.3 | 68.1 | 24 |
Post season stats
| Year | Team | Games Played | Att | att/g | yds | avg | yds/g | TD |
| 2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 70 | 17 | 225 | 3.2 | 56.3 | 1 |
| 2008 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3 | 57 | 19.1 | 246 | 4.3 | 82 | 2 |
| Career | 7 | 127 | 18.1 | 471 | 3.7 | 67.3 | 3 |
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Willie Parker became a football coach. In 2012, he became an assistant coach for the West Virginia Wesleyan College football team.
Starting in 2015, he became the running backs coach at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He coaches alongside other former NFL players there.
