Don Parish (American football)

For other people with the same name, see Don Parish (disambiguation).

Don Parish
No. 57, 56, 51
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1948-01-04)January 4, 1948
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Died:May 9, 2018(2018-05-09) (aged 70)
Paso Robles, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Paso Robles (CA)
College:Stanford
NFL draft:1970 / round: 4 / pick: 91
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:19
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Donald Edward Parish (January 4, 1948 – May 9, 2018) was an American football linebacker. Parish played at Stanford, where he was the Pop Warner Trophy winner in 1969.[1] He was chosen in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.[2] Parish played three seasons for the Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, and Denver Broncos.[3]

He had three brothers, Kenneth, Cecil and Don.[4]

The St. Louis Quarterback Club selected Parish as the Cardinals' team Rookie of the Year in December 1970.[5]

As a member of the Cardinal, Parish set the school record for single-game tackles against Oregon State in 1968, making 23 stops, a mark he would hold for 18 years until Dave Wyman surpassed it.[6] As a senior, he was selected for first-team All-America honors by the AP, The Sporting News and Time.[7]

In 1971, then-Stanford coach John Ralston called Parish "the finest linebacker" he had ever coached, adding: "In his three seasons (at Stanford), he has never given anything less than 110-percent effort."[8]

Collegiate Statistics
Season School Tackles
1967 (So.) STAN 71
1968 (Jr.) STAN 143
1969 (Sr.) STAN 141
Career Total 355

He suffered from traumatic brain injury during his football days, his brother, Kenneth, told a reporter in 2021. Unhoused in Los Angeles for many years, Parish died at age 70 on May 9, 2018, in Paso Robles, California.[9]

In June 2022, his alma mater, PRHS, named its football field in honor of Parish.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Pac-12 Conference - 2016 Football Media Guide". Catalog.e-digitaleditions.com. 2016. p. 113. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "NFL.com Draft 2018 - NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year". NFL.com.
  3. ^ "Don Parish". NFL.com.
  4. ^ Sara Kassabian, "Paso Robles Black Baptist Church Celebrates 60 Years," The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, California, pages 1A and 6A
  5. ^ "Don Parish named Card 'Rookie'". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. December 12, 1970. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Defensive Records". Stanford University Athletics. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  7. ^ Stanford 2013 Football Media Guide. Stanford University Athletics. 2013. p. 166.
  8. ^ "Paso to honor Parish". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. December 16, 1971. p. 13.
  9. ^ "Don Edward Parish". Paso Robles Press. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  10. ^ "Honoring Four Legendary Bearcats 06.08.2022". KPRL Radio 1230AM & 99.3FM. June 8, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.


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