Sports
Buddy Parker
1913–1982 · American football coach and former player
Head coach who led the Lions to back-to-back NFL championships in 1952 and 1953, after winning a title with Detroit as a player in 1935.
- Born
Slaton, Texas- Died
Kaufman, Texas
aged 68- Birth name
- Raymond Klein Parker
- Detroit years
- 1935–1936, 1950–1957
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Parker first came to Detroit as a fullback and played on the Lions team that won the 1935 NFL championship. He returned as an assistant in 1950 and became head coach in 1951, building his offense around Bobby Layne and Doak Walker and a hard-hitting defense. In 1952 his Lions beat the Cleveland Browns for the title, and in 1953 they beat Cleveland again, 17–16, at Briggs Stadium, the franchise's only back-to-back championships. A third straight meeting with the Browns in the 1954 final ended in a heavy defeat. Parker was known for his temper and his superstitions, and in August 1957, just before the season, he stunned the team by announcing his resignation at a banquet, saying he could no longer control the players; Detroit went on to win the 1957 title without him. He later coached Pittsburgh and was a finalist for the Hall of Fame's coaching slate.
Highlights
- Lions head coach 1951–1956
- NFL champion as coach in 1952 and 1953
- NFL champion as a Lions player in 1935
- Resigned abruptly at a team banquet in August 1957
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1951–1956
Tiger Stadium site (Briggs Stadium)
Demolished · 1912–1999
Home of his championship teams; site of the 1953 title win over Cleveland. Demolished in 2008–2009.