Lemar Parrish 5'11" 181 Cornerback Cincinnati Bengals 1970 - 1982 13 Seasons 166 Games Played 47 Interceptions 13 Fumble Recoveries 13 Touchdowns 8 Pro Bowls Lemar Parrish was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 1970 NFL Draft. He was the 163rd player picked overall that year. Parrish went to college at Lincoln University of Missouri. Parrish was a running back in college. In 1969, Lamar set the schools record for for longest punt return, when he returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown against Southwest Missouri State. He also set school records for most punt return yards in a game (129 yards on 3 returns), and highest average per punt return in that game (43 YPR). That year, Parrish averaged 16.8 yards per punt return. That, and his career average of 15.5 YPR, are still school records. He made the NCAA All American Team in 1969. He is the most famous athletic figure in the schools history since the 1950's, when tennis great Althea Gibson taught there, and Canadian Football League Hall of Fame Running Back Leo Lewis attended the school. Parrish has returned to his alma mater, and is the head coach of the schools football team. Lemar Parrish is in the Lincoln University Hall of Fame. In his 1970 rookie season, he was incredible. Parrish had five interceptions,and scored a touchdown on both a punt return and kickoff return. He averaged 30.1 yards per kick return and recovered a fumble. He also scored on a blocked field goal return. He would go to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. He followed that up next season with seven interceptions. He took one interception 65 yards for a touchdown, and one fumble for a touchdown. In 1972, Parrish picked off five passes and took two in for touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. In 1973, he has two interceptions and returned a fumble for a touchdown. The 1974 season saw Parrish returned to the Pro Bowl by setting a still standing Bengals record with an NFL leading 18.8 yards per punt return average. He also scored two touchdowns on punt returns. One went for 90 yards and is presently the second longest in Bengals history. He also recovered a fumble and took it 47 yards for a touchdown. He would go to the Pro Bowl every year up until the 1977 season. In 1977, Parrish had three interceptions and took one in for the last touchdown of his career. After the 1977 season, Parrish was traded to the Redskins, after a contract dispute, with defensive end Coy Bacon by the Bengals to Washington for the Redskins’ first-round pick in the 1979 draft. That first-round pick ended up being the 12th overall selection, which Cincinnati used to pick running back Charles Alexander out of Louisiana State. Parrish was not asked to return kicks on the Redskins, yet still made a immediate impact on the Redskins defense his first year with four interceptions. The next year, he had nine interceptions and was named First Team All-NFL and to the Pro Bowl.. He followed that up with seven interceptions in 1980, and was named to his last Pro Bowl. Parrish left the Redskins after 1981, and joined the Buffalo Bills in 1982. He retired after that year. Lemar Parrish is the Bengals All-Time leader in touchdowns scored by "return or recovery" with 13. This is still tied third All-Time in NFL history with two others. His two interceptions returned for TDs is still tied for the most in a game, with many others in NFL history. He was also the only player in Cincinnati history ever to score two "return or recovery" touchdowns in a single game, which he did separate 3 times. When he retired, his three fumble returns for touchdowns tied an NFL record. He still fourth All-Time in Bengals history for interceptions in a career, and second in touchdowns scored by interception. His four punt returns for touchdowns ranks first in Cincinnati Bengals history. He also is first in career average for kickoff returns with 24.7, touchdowns in a season on kick off returns, interceptions made in one game, and touchdowns returned via interceptions in a season and a single game. He ranks second in Bengals history with 130 punt returns, and punt return yardage in a season and career. He is third in franchise history in interception return yardage in a career. His 95 yard kick off return currently is the sixth longest in Bengals history. Parrish did not win the 1970 Rookie of the Year Award probably because the Bengals had two players win the award the two previous seasons, even though he had a superior season to the winner, 49ers CB Bruce Taylor. Lemar Parrish is a member of the Cincinnati Bengals 40th Anniversary Team. Parrish epitomized the definition of "play maker" in his career. He was a shut down cornerback who teams tried to avoid. He would make the opponents cringe when he was asked to return kicks or punts. Parrish teamed with Ken Riley to form, perhaps, the best cornerback duo in the NFL in the 1970's. He was also noted for his ability to stop the run, which is something he had to supply often due to the Bengals porous front seven. Safety Tommy Casanova was a beneficiary of this cornerback tandem, and made 3 Pro Bowls from 1972 to 1977. Casanova retired after Parrish left the Bengals. Teams could not beat the Bengals by passing the ball, but they would win by running the ball up the middle. The Bengals often challenged the great Steelers teams of the 1970's, but would come up short. The pass defense was never the reason. While with the Redskins, Parrish also made fellow cornerback Joe Lavender a better player. Lavender made the Pro Bowl twice in his career, the same years that Lemar did. Parrish was a complete player. He could do it all. His penchant for taking the ball to the end zone was prodigious. He made his teams better, his teammates better, and now is teaching his students to be better. Every year of his career saw him intercept at least one ball, except for his 1974 Pro Bowl season. To be named to the Pro Bowl by your peers, despite having no interceptions, truly shows his greatness and is an example of how opposing teams feared him. The following two Pro Bowl years of 1975 and '76 are further examples to make this fact concrete, because he had three interceptions total over this time. I find it amazing to see Lemar Parrish yet to be inducted into Canton. Recent inductee Roger Wehrli went in with finally, so hopefully the voters are going to right long standing wrongs. It would be fitting to see Parrish and Riley inducted together. Notable Players Drafted In 1970 * Denotes Canton Inductee 1. Terry Bradshaw, QB, Pittsburgh * 7. Mike Reid, DT, Cincinnati 9. Cedric Hardman, DE, San Francisco 10. Ken Burrough, WR, New Orleans 13. Doug Wilkerson, OG, Houston 17. Bruce Taylor, CB, San Francisco 18. Norm Bulaich, FB, Baltimore 19. Steve Owens, RB, Detroit 22. Jack Reynolds, LB, LA Rams 23. Duane Thomas, RB, Dallas 24. Raymond Chester, TE, Oakland 29. Jim Mandich, TE, Miami 30. Dennis Shaw, QB, Buffalo 31. Leo Brooks, DT, Houston 36. Joe "Turkey" Jones, DE, Cleveland 39. Art Malone, RB, Atlanta 43. Bill Brundige, DE, Washington 46. Richard Caster, WR, NY Jets 53. Mel Blount, DB, Pittsburgh * 55. Tim Foley, DB, Miami 66. Charlie Waters, DB, Dallas 76. Gerald Irons, DE, Oakland 80. Ed George, OT, Pittsburgh (CFL Hall of Fame) 110. Ron Saul, OG, Houston 114. Manny Sistrunk, DE, Washington 153. Pat Toomay, DE, Dallas 159. Jake Scott, DB, Miami 201. Mike Holmgren, QB, Saint Louis Cardinals (Noted Coach) 204. Rich Saul, OG, LA Rams 218. Jim Otis, FB, New Orleans 248. Joe Dawkins, RB, Houston 259. Stu Voight, TE, Minnesota 287. Butch Davis, DB, Chicago (Noted Coach) 335. Mark Washington, CB, Dallas 346. Mark Moseley, K, Philadelphia 348. Doug Sutherland, DT, New Orleans
