May 17th, 2012 |
Published in
Milestone Birthdays
Clarence “Ace” Parker, the oldest living pro football player, is 100 years old today. Parker played from 1937 to 1941 for the NFL’s Brooklyn Dodgers, served three years in World War II, then returned to play one season for the NFL’s Boston Yanks and one season for the AAFC’s New York Yankees. At various times in his career he was a tailback, defensive back, kicker, punter, and kick returner. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972.
Parker also played two seasons of major league baseball, for the American League’s Philadelphia Athletics. Today’s New York Times has a detailed account of his athletic career.
The card pictured here is Parker’s 1955 Topps All-American card. He also appeared on a 1975 Fleer Immortal Roll football card.
For a list of the 500 oldest living pro football players, see oldestlivingprofootball.com.
October 15th, 2010 |
Published in
Football Card Trivia, Player Deaths
Ralph Kercheval, who had been the oldest living pro football player, passed away on October 6. He was 98 years and 10 months old. I wrote a short article about Kercheval and his football cards last year.
With Kercheval’s passing, Ace Parker, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, became the oldest living pro football player. According to his Wikipedia page, Parker is 98 years and 5 months old. To my knowledge, the 1955 Topps All-American card pictured here is Parker’s only vintage card, though he appeared in a few modern tribute sets, as well. You can find many of his tribute cards on eBay.
Parker also played two seasons for baseball’s Philadelphia Athletics, but I don’t know if he is also the oldest living major league baseball player. I did a quick net search for Ace Parker baseball cards, but I didn’t turn any up.
The Oldest Living Pro Football Players web site has a long, long list of the current oldest living pro players. Glancing through the first couple dozen players on the list, I see that only a few them appeared on football cards. Most of the oldest players played in the 1930s and 1940s, and only a few sets of football cards were printed during those decades.
