Former Lions coach Buddy Parker beats out Bob Kraft, Tom Coughlin as finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Raymond "Buddy" Parker helped orchestrate two NFL championships as the head coach of the Detroit Lions in the 1950s. Now, he's the finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 as a coach/contributor. Parker will be inducted if he receives at least 80% of the votes from the Hall's 50-person selection committee.
Parker coached 15 years in the NFL, most notably for the Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his time in the league with a 107-76-9 record, which included back-to-back NFL championships from 1952-1953 over the Paul Brown-led Cleveland Browns. Parker lost the 1954 title game to those same Browns. These titles differed from the Super Bowl, which wasn't played between the NFL and AFL until 1967.
He went on to coach the Steelers for eight seasons from 1957-1964, though Parker didn't have the same success he had in Detroit and finished with a 51-47-6 record and no postseason appearances.
Prior to his time with the Lions and Steelers, Parker won the 1935 NFL championship with the Lions as a fullback. He also played for the Chicago Cardinals from 1937 to 1943 as a linebacker and defensive back before he became an assistant coach for them in 1949.
Parker beats out Kraft, Shanahan and others
Only one coach or contributor can be inducted into the Hall of Fame every season, and Parker earned the honor over some pretty big names in football.
Other candidates included New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, Steelers owner Art Rooney Jr., former New York Giants head coach and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach/executive Tom Coughlin, former Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and two-time Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Lloyd Wells and John Wooten rounded out the remaining candidates.
There a bevy of players who are eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time, too. Those include tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Julius Peppers, quarterback Andrew Luck and wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Recently-retired stars like Tom Brady and J.J. Watt won't be eligible until 2028.
