Former Argo Hall of Famer James Quick Parker Passes Away

[jerrym]

While James Quick Parker played most of his Hall of Fame Career with the Eskimos and Lions, he also played for the Argos in 1990-1991.

Parker won three Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos (1980, 1981,1982) and again with the Lions in 1985.
He was the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player three times, while also earning five CFL all-star selections.

Terrorizing quarterbacks for more than a decade with Edmonton (1980-83), BC ('84-89) and the Toronto Argonauts ('90-91). Parker still owns the single season CFL record for sacks with 26.5 set with the Lions in 1984.
His 139.5 career sacks rank him fourth all-time and spurred his induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cf...uary-1.4596300

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the CFL started tracking quarterback sacks as an individual defensive statistic in 1981, one year after James Parker came on the scene. Parker certainly dominated the catagory, recording 139.5 sacks, and setting the mark for everyone who came after him to shoot for. Parker was signed as a free agent by Edmonton in 1980, and believe it or not was released by Edmonton. The Eskimos rectified that mistake by resigning Parker for the final 7 games of 1980. Parker played three more seasons with Edmonton (1981-83) and recorded a total of 51 sacks over those three seasons. Parker was a West All-Sar in all three seasons, 1981 and 1982 at linebacker and 1983 at defensive end. Parker was also a CFL All-Star in both 1981 and 1982.

Edmonton then traded Parker to BC for the 1984 season in what is surely one of the more lopsided trades in CFL history. Edmonton got BC's territorial exemption from the 1984 CFL College Draft in Laurent DesLauriers and the BC first round drft pick who turned out to be Frank Balkovec. Parker responded by having a career year for BC in 1984, recording 26.5 quarterback sacks. That won Parker West and CFL All-Stats as well as his first of two Outstanding Defensive Player Awards. Parker was a West and CFL All-Star again in 1985 and 1986, and won his second Outstanding Defensive Player award in 1986 when he recorded 22 sacks.

Parker was traded from BC to Toronto in March of 1990 along with a fifth round draft pick and future considerations forthe rights to quarterback Major Harris. With 6 division All-Stars, 5 CFL All-Stars and a pair of Outstanding Defensive Player awards, James Parker was an easy selection for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Parker's 139.5 quarterback sacks currently (2009) ranks fourth in CFL history and his 26.5 sacks in 1984 is still a CFL single season record.

http://www.cflapedia.com/Players/p/parker_james.htm

[jerrym]

Incidentally, Quick is the father of current National BC Lion safety/ST Keynan Parker who has been with the Lions since 2013.

[ArgoRavi]

I think that Will may have mentioned on Twitter that teams generally got more sacks back in the 1980s than they do today. It is hard to imagine that Parker's record will ever be broken. He was as good of a rush end as has ever played the game IMO.

[macspectrum]

Incidentally, Quick is the father of current National BC Lion safety/ST Keynan Parker who has been with the Lions since 2013.

rip james parker
.
would my logic follow?
cfl players have kids in born canada, thereby having cdn citizenship, and if kids make it to cfl they would be considered national ? even if they played entire amateur career in usa

[jerrym]

rip james parker
.
would my logic follow?
cfl players have kids in born canada, thereby having cdn citizenship, and if kids make it to cfl they would be considered national ? even if they played entire amateur career in usa

Kenyan played high school football in Canada, then went to Oregon State, but switched to Simon Fraser University to finish his college career.

Parker, a member of The Province’s 2008 Head of the Class, tore up the gridiron over his senior year of high school, distinguishing himself as perhaps the fastest running back ever to play the position in provincial prep history. The son of CFL legend James ‘Quick’ Parker set the Canadian youth record in the 200 metre sprint (21.44 seconds) in the summer before his senior year, then proceeded to rush for a B.C.-best 2,128 yards and 28 touchdowns in 11 games. That season, STM lost to Surrey’s Holy Cross Crusaders (led by UBC’s reigning Hec Crighton Trophy-winning quarterback Billy Greene) in the Subway Bowl Triple A final at B.C. Place Stadium.
A red-shirt season at Div. 1 Oregon State in 2008, followed by a preseason shoulder injury that cost him all of 2009 added up to Parker spending the past two seasons battling his way up the depth chart. However the chance to come back home and play both ways was a strong enough lure for him to pack his bags for the trip up Burnaby Mountain and join a Clan team coming off a 3-7 overall season. If Parker applies for a medical redshirt for his 2009 season, he could potentially be eligible to play for the Clan in 2013 as well.

“It’s a big part of the reason I wanted to come back,” Parker explained of the chance to take snaps on offence and defence. “When I was at Oregon State, I talked to (head coach Mike Riley) about it, but he was a little hesitant about it because I was so deep into the defence.” ...

And as far as Clan head coach Dave Johnson is concerned, there are as many ways to integrate Parker into the offence as there are pages in a blank scribble pad.
“We’re just going to give him the ball,” said Johnson, sharpening his mental pencil. “We’ll line him up at tailback, then run some screen stuff, then play him at receiver. Shoot, we might even snap the ball to him. When you’re 3-7, there’s no handbook. We don’t have to do anything any certain way. What we’re going to do is get the ball to Keynan Parker in space. Any way you can conjure that up, we will try that.”

http://theprovince.com/sports/university/former-prep-star-keynan-parker-returns-home-set-to-play-offence-and-defence-with-sfu-clan

[Will]

I think that Will may have mentioned on Twitter that teams generally got more sacks back in the 1980s than they do today. It is hard to imagine that Parker's record will ever be broken. He was as good of a rush end as has ever played the game IMO.

Victor Butler (before his injury) was theoretically on pace to break the record, but I doubt he would have been able to do so. The Argos led the league in sacks in 2017 with 50 I believe. Parker had the 26 1/2 sacks in 1984 and I believe the Lions had 71 sacks that year. I've seen other examples of teams with sack totals in the 60s and 70s from the 1980's too. My guess is that with QBs getting the ball out faster now that it has reduced sack totals? Plus there's that other elephant in the room.

Parker's production between 1980 and 1986 was ridiculous. The sacks weren't recorded until '81 but he never had less than 12.0 sacks in that span. It looks like he had some sort of injury in 87 that limited his production somewhat for the rest of his career.

[gilthethrill]

Did James dress for the Grey Cup winning Argo team in 91? I looked at his career stats and it says he dressed for 0 games. Another good one gone way too soon.

[Will]

I have to check the Star archives from that era to confirm, but I was doing some research the other day (coincidental and prior to the news) and it mentioned that Parker (who was cut in TC) was brought back due to an injury. I don't remember at what point of the season this occurred and whether he was cut immediately after. I can take a look when I get home from work.

[AngeloV]

Did James dress for the Grey Cup winning Argo team in 91? I looked at his career stats and it says he dressed for 0 games. Another good one gone way too soon.

I'm pretty sure he started that game. I have the game on tape, and pretty sure the starting defence was announced out of the tunnel, and he was part of it.

[Will]

I thought the starting 4 would have been Warren-Harding-Hallman-Campbell by that point. Unless one was injured.

[Will]

His name isn't on the name plate for what it's worth.

[OV Argo]

I thought the starting 4 would have been Warren-Harding-Hallman-Campbell by that point. Unless one was injured.

Yep those were the 4 i believe - i have that game on tape as well - the Argos players came out for the intros, in the freezing cold, holding their helmets high in the air.

Not sure if James Parker dressed for that game, but I don't think so; and i recall pretty well nothing of his time with the Argos. * Edit * - the StatsCrew site has him dressing for all 18 games as an Argo in 1990, with 33 tackles and 6 sacks (and like i said - i just don't recall him as an Argo ?); but only dressing for 3 games in 91 - his final CFL season.

RIP though - an all-time CFL great and one of the bass pass rushers ever !

[paulwoods13]

Parker did not dress for the Argos in the 1991 Grey Cup. The numbers cited by StatsCrew appear to be erroneous because the Argos' own handwritten game-participation sheets for 1991 show that he dressed for just one game that year, week 5 against Sask. In 1990 he dressed for all 18 regular-season games as well as the two playoff games. He was basically replaced in the starting lineup by Mike Campbell in 1991, opening up an extra import spot at receiver for Rocket Ismail. I believe he was asked to retire during training camp and either did so or was cut, but brought back for Week 5 when Hallman and Harding both sat with injuries. I believe the starting d-line in week 5 was Campbell, Parker, Brian Warren and Leonard Johnson.

[Will]

Parker did not dress for the Argos in the 1991 Grey Cup. The numbers cited by StatsCrew appear to be erroneous because the Argos' own handwritten game-participation sheets for 1991 show that he dressed for just one game that year, week 5 against Sask. In 1990 he dressed for all 18 regular-season games as well as the two playoff games. He was basically replaced in the starting lineup by Mike Campbell in 1991, opening up an extra import spot at receiver for Rocket Ismail. I believe he was asked to retire during training camp and either did so or was cut, but brought back for Week 5 when Hallman and Harding both sat with injuries. I believe the starting d-line in week 5 was Campbell, Parker, Brian Warren and Leonard Johnson.

The Argos did ask Parker to retire for the reasons that you state and Brian Warren simply beat him out at training camp.

The Star reports on July 7, 1991 that Parker had accepted a spot on the PR.

It looks like he "left Toronto's practice roster" on or about September 14, 1991.

[Bleeds Double Blue]

When I think of James Parker I think of him as a BC Lion first and foremost. I have absolutely no recollection of him as an Argonaut in 1990 or 91 but there are a lot of memories from the 90's that are hazy at best. That's a story for another time. I find it kind of depressing though to learn that a guy that was so great was reduced to being cut from a practise roster spot.

[jerrym]

The two winningest coaches in CFL history both knew how valuable he was to a team and how he revolutionized his position. Mathews coached him in Edmonton and traded for him as soon as he could once he became HC in BC. Wally Buono, who played and coached against Parker, paid tribute to him yesterday:

“He revolutionized the game,” says Lions head coach Wally Buono, who played and coached against Parker. “Before Quick came along, you didn’t see defensive ends his size or standing up at the line of scrimmage. Now they’re all over the place.“You had to game plan for him but it didn’t matter if you double- or triple-teamed him. He’d find a way to beat you.”
Parker lasted 12 seasons in the CFL, and if all you knew about him was the back of his football card, you’d know he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He still holds the CFL single-season record with 26½ sacks, recorded with the Lions in 1984, his first year with the club.

He also retired with three most outstanding defensive player awards, five all-Canadian selections, four Grey Cup rings and the fourth-highest sack total in CFL history.
But, for all that, it’s Parker’s role as an innovator that is his most significant contribution to the gridiron.
A graduate of Wake Forest, where he played defensive tackle, Parker’s first CFL stop was Edmonton in 1980, where the Eskimos were in the process of winning five consecutive Grey Cups. The Eskies’ defensive co-ordinator was Don Matthews, who moved the explosive-but-squat Parker to the edge. In so doing, he unleashed an unholy force on the CFL.

At 5-11 and 225 pounds, Parker didn’t exactly have the dimensions of a classic defensive end. But he had speed to burn, a low centre of gravity and a non-stop engine, all of which made him unblockable.
Parker was also the first defensive end anyone can remember attacking from a standing position that meant he virtually invented the rush end position. That’s in the CFL and NFL.
“The modern rush end has been defined as a game changer, and that was Quick,” former BC Lion OL Jamie Taras says. “He was a game changer. If you didn’t account for him every play, he’d wreak havoc on your offence.”

http://theprovince.com/sports/footba...heart-gave-out

[ArgoRavi]

Victor Butler (before his injury) was theoretically on pace to break the record, but I doubt he would have been able to do so. The Argos led the league in sacks in 2017 with 50 I believe. Parker had the 26 1/2 sacks in 1984 and I believe the Lions had 71 sacks that year. I've seen other examples of teams with sack totals in the 60s and 70s from the 1980's too. My guess is that with QBs getting the ball out faster now that it has reduced sack totals? Plus there's that other elephant in the room.

Parker's production between 1980 and 1986 was ridiculous. The sacks weren't recorded until '81 but he never had less than 12.0 sacks in that span. It looks like he had some sort of injury in 87 that limited his production somewhat for the rest of his career.

The Argos' offensive line gave up an astounding number of sacks - 103 IIRC - in 1986 alone and the team still came within a hair of making it to the Grey Cup.

I will tackle the elephant in the room. During much of the 1980s, most, if not all, teams played five non-imports on the offensive line.

[gilthethrill]

The Argos' offensive line gave up an astounding number of sacks - 103 IIRC - in 1986 alone and the team still came within a hair of making it to the Grey Cup.

I will tackle the elephant in the room. During much of the 1980s, most, if not all, teams played five non-imports on the offensive line.

Well, those CIS players back then were not as pro ready after University as they are today. Also, the exclusive use of the shotgun IMO decreases the amount of sacks given up as well.

[AngeloV]

Well, those CIS players back then were not as pro ready after University as they are today. Also, the exclusive use of the shotgun IMO decreases the amount of sacks given up as well.

I don't think the shot gun makes a difference to be honest. Teams pass way more today than back then. I'm sure people are going to love the fact that I bring up the fact that QB's have been taught to check down rather than hold on to the ball too long as being the key reason why sacks are down from that era. If teams still only rushed 4 or 5 on every play as they did back then, sack numbers would likely even be lower today.

[Argo57]

I don't think the shot gun makes a difference to be honest. Teams pass way more today than back then. I'm sure people are going to love the fact that I bring up the fact that QB's have been taught to check down rather than hold on to the ball too long as being the key reason why sacks are down from that era. If teams still only rushed 4 or 5 on every play as they did back then, sack numbers would likely even be lower today.

You’ve hit the nail on the head Angelo, defensive schemes are much more complex and attack oriented than they were in the past which in turn have necessitated adjustments (check downs etc) to avoid sacks.