Bernie Parrish
Encyclopedia
Bernard Paul "Bernie" Parrish (born April 29, 1936) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a cornerback
in the National Football League
(NFL) and American Football League
(AFL) for eight seasons during the 1950s and 1960s. Parrish played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns
of the NFL and the Houston Oilers
of the AFL. Parrish's football memoirs later stirred controversy.
in 1936. He grew up in Gainesville, Florida
, where he attended P.K. Yonge High School and played high school football
and baseball
for the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, and played halfback
and defensive back
for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football
team in 1956 and 1957. Memorably, Parrish was named Associated Press
"Back of the Week" for his performance in the Gators' 14–7 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores
, including rushing for 111 yards, scoring both touchdown
s, kicking both extra points, catching an interception, and making seven tackle
s—including one to prevent the Commodores' tying score. He also played second base for coach Dave Fuller
's Florida Gators baseball
team from 1956 to 1958. As a junior
in 1958, he batted .433 and led the Gators in runs batted in, hit
s, double
s and home run
s, received first-team All-Southeastern conference
(SEC) honors, and was the Gators' first-ever first-team baseball All-American.
Parrish decided to forego his senior
year of NCAA eligibility, and accepted a Major League Baseball
bonus contract. Parrish returned to Gainesville during the NFL off-season to complete his degree and graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
in building construction in 1960. He was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
, and he played for the Browns from to . Memorably, he returned one interception for ninety-two yards and a touchdown in 1960. Parrish was a key man of the Browns' defense on their run to winning the 1964 NFL championship
. In his seven seasons with the Browns, he had twenty-nine interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns. After playing in one game of the season, Parrish requested that he be released because the Browns asked him to share time at his position with another player, and played the balance of the 1966 season (eleven games) for the Houston Oilers
of the AFL before retiring at season's end.
In his eight-year professional football career, Parrish played in 105 regular season games, recorded a total of thirty-one interceptions, and returned those interceptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns.
. After retiring as a player, Parrish worked with the Teamsters
in the late 1960s in an unsuccessful attempt to organize a new Teamsters-affiliated NFL/AFL players' union
.
In 1971, Parrish wrote a best-selling book, They Call It A Game, published by The Dial Press, about the economics and politics of the NFL. His book included the controversial allegation that the NFL had fixed the outcomes of some of its games. Some critics, however, expressed the opinion that Parrish had failed to substantiate such claims in any material way.
Parrish enjoyed a second career as a hotel developer
until he retired to spend more time with his wife and family. In 2007, Parrish and former Green Bay Packers
cornerback Herb Adderley
filed a class action suit on behalf of retired NFL players against the NFLPA and Players, Inc., a subsidiary of the NFLPA, over retired players' benefits derived from player image and name licensing fees. While Parrish was eventually dismissed from the suit as a lead plaintiff of the represented class, the trial jury found in favor of the retired players and awarded a $28.1 million judgment against the NFLPA and Players, Inc., including $21 million in punitive damages
. The NFLPA appealed the judgment in February 2009, but eventually settled the case without further litigation.
Parrish was a harsh critic of the late NFLPA President Gene Upshaw
, and publicly excoriated Upshaw's record on providing disability and medical assistance to retired NFL players. While many retired players agreed with Parrish's criticisms of Upshaw, many former player and other observers believed that Parrish went too far in his attacks against Upshaw when he strongly implied that Upshaw was involved in the death of his first wife. Upshaw's first wife apparently died of natural causes, and she and Upshaw had been divorced for over a decade at the time of her death, and police investigators said Upshaw was not a suspect or person of interest in any investigation. A Sports Illustrated article about the rift between retired players and Upshaw implied that a number of former players hesitated before having Parrish speak to the press on the issue.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
(AFL) for eight seasons during the 1950s and 1960s. Parrish played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL and the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
of the AFL. Parrish's football memoirs later stirred controversy.
Early life
Parrish was born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
in 1936. He grew up in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he attended P.K. Yonge High School and played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave.
College career
Parrish received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, and played halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for coach Bob Woodruff's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
team in 1956 and 1957. Memorably, Parrish was named Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
"Back of the Week" for his performance in the Gators' 14–7 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program is a college football team that represents Vanderbilt University. The team currently competes in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Southeastern Conference...
, including rushing for 111 yards, scoring both touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, kicking both extra points, catching an interception, and making seven tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s—including one to prevent the Commodores' tying score. He also played second base for coach Dave Fuller
Dave Fuller
Dave Fuller was an American college baseball coach who led the Florida Gators baseball team of the University of Florida for twenty-eight seasons.- Early life and education :...
's Florida Gators baseball
Florida Gators baseball
The Florida Gators baseball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of baseball. The Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association , and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . They play their home games in Alfred A...
team from 1956 to 1958. As a junior
Junior (education)
"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
in 1958, he batted .433 and led the Gators in runs batted in, hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
s, double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
s and home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, received first-team All-Southeastern conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) honors, and was the Gators' first-ever first-team baseball All-American.
Parrish decided to forego his senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
year of NCAA eligibility, and accepted a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
bonus contract. Parrish returned to Gainesville during the NFL off-season to complete his degree and graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in building construction in 1960. He was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."
Professional career
The Cleveland Browns selected Parrish in the ninth round (108th pick overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft1958 NFL Draft
The 1958 National Football League Draft was held on December 2, 1957 and January 28, 1958 .This was the last year in which the Lottery Bonus pick was used.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:...
, and he played for the Browns from to . Memorably, he returned one interception for ninety-two yards and a touchdown in 1960. Parrish was a key man of the Browns' defense on their run to winning the 1964 NFL championship
NFL Championship Game, 1964
The 1964 National Football League championship game was the 32nd annual championship game. The NFL title game was held on December 27, 1964 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio before a crowd of 79,544...
. In his seven seasons with the Browns, he had twenty-nine interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns. After playing in one game of the season, Parrish requested that he be released because the Browns asked him to share time at his position with another player, and played the balance of the 1966 season (eleven games) for the Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
of the AFL before retiring at season's end.
In his eight-year professional football career, Parrish played in 105 regular season games, recorded a total of thirty-one interceptions, and returned those interceptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns.
Life after the NFL
During his time with the Browns, Parrish served as team representative to the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), and later NFLPA vice presidentVice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
. After retiring as a player, Parrish worked with the Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
in the late 1960s in an unsuccessful attempt to organize a new Teamsters-affiliated NFL/AFL players' union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
.
In 1971, Parrish wrote a best-selling book, They Call It A Game, published by The Dial Press, about the economics and politics of the NFL. His book included the controversial allegation that the NFL had fixed the outcomes of some of its games. Some critics, however, expressed the opinion that Parrish had failed to substantiate such claims in any material way.
Parrish enjoyed a second career as a hotel developer
Developer
Developer may refer to:*Software developer, one who programs computers or designs the system to match the requirements of a systems analyst*Game developer, a person or business involved in game development, the process of designing and creating games...
until he retired to spend more time with his wife and family. In 2007, Parrish and former Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
cornerback Herb Adderley
Herb Adderley
Herbert Allen Adderley is a former American football cornerback who played for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League....
filed a class action suit on behalf of retired NFL players against the NFLPA and Players, Inc., a subsidiary of the NFLPA, over retired players' benefits derived from player image and name licensing fees. While Parrish was eventually dismissed from the suit as a lead plaintiff of the represented class, the trial jury found in favor of the retired players and awarded a $28.1 million judgment against the NFLPA and Players, Inc., including $21 million in punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
. The NFLPA appealed the judgment in February 2009, but eventually settled the case without further litigation.
Parrish was a harsh critic of the late NFLPA President Gene Upshaw
Gene Upshaw
Eugene Thurman Upshaw, Jr. was an American football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League and later the NFL, later the executive director of the National Football League Players' Association...
, and publicly excoriated Upshaw's record on providing disability and medical assistance to retired NFL players. While many retired players agreed with Parrish's criticisms of Upshaw, many former player and other observers believed that Parrish went too far in his attacks against Upshaw when he strongly implied that Upshaw was involved in the death of his first wife. Upshaw's first wife apparently died of natural causes, and she and Upshaw had been divorced for over a decade at the time of her death, and police investigators said Upshaw was not a suspect or person of interest in any investigation. A Sports Illustrated article about the rift between retired players and Upshaw implied that a number of former players hesitated before having Parrish speak to the press on the issue.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1950–1959
- History of the Cleveland BrownsHistory of the Cleveland BrownsThis article details the history of the Cleveland Browns American Football Club.-1946–1949: The AAFC years:The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1944 by owner Arthur 'Mickey' McBride and head coach Paul Brown and started play in 1946...
- List of American Football League players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni