Ace Parker (1912-)

[throatybeard]

We may have lost Werber, but this dude is amazing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Parker

Played on same field with Gehrig and Hornsby.

[Olympic Fan]

There is a case to made that Parker is the greatest all-around athlete to play at Duke.

Maybe the greatest football player ... a great baseball player ... and a good enough basketball player to letter at Duke. He was also a scratch golfer -- in his youth, he beat Sam Snead, the top pro of his era, in a long-driving contest. Later in life, he routinely shot his age.

Not long ago, a Virginia newspaper picked him as the greatest athlete ever produced by Tidewater, Va. -- ahead of such notables as Allen Iverson and Ronald Curry.

[devilirium]

"His hearing is mostly gone, so you’ve got to come loud and clear with your questions. But his wit is still sharp and his handshake crushing. He resolutely gets around without a walker and keeps a supply of Miller Genuine Draft in the refrigerator."--from a local Portsmouth newspaper in 2012.

My uncle knows Ace. The guy is a living legend in Tidewater Virginia, and is one of those people who's been around so long that he walks by the historical marker in front of his childhood home. Duke's greatest athlete, unquestionably.

[jimsumner]

"His hearing is mostly gone, so you’ve got to come loud and clear with your questions. But his wit is still sharp and his handshake crushing. He resolutely gets around without a walker and keeps a supply of Miller Genuine Draft in the refrigerator."--from a local Portsmouth newspaper in 2012.

My uncle knows Ace. The guy is a living legend in Tidewater Virginia, and is one of those people who's been around so long that he walks by the historical marker in front of his childhood home. Duke's greatest athlete, unquestionably.

Well, he'd make the short list. Maybe even top the list. But unquestionably? Dick Groat and Dave Sime certainly merit consideration for that mythical honor.

[sagegrouse]

Well, he'd make the short list. Maybe even top the list. But unquestionably? Dick Groat and Dave Sime certainly merit consideration for that mythical honor.

Well, there's also Eric Tipton, punter and running back from 1936 to 1938, who -- although later inducted in the College Football HOF -- chose to play baseball instead (truly, the NFL was an afterthought until the mid-1950s). Played seven or so seasons. He later coached baseball and football at Bill and Mary and West Point.

Not to overlook George McAfee, college and NFL HOF, who led the league in rushing once with an average of 7.3 yds.

sagegrouse