The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-07
Ace Parker Is Termed
Greatest Grid Player
Former Duke Star Could Win
Any Bowl Game If Need
ed, Talbot Asserts
BY Y TALBOT

BY ia 1ALbUl
NEW YORK, Dec. 6.-R-If any
of the "bowI' football teams
doesn't feel completely confident
of winning it's contest on N ew
Years afternoon with the material
it has, on hand, this department
wants to suggest a player who
will make it a cinch, boys, a cinch!
His name is Clarence Parker a
back, and he is at liberty now that
the Brooklyn Dodgers have fin
ished their schedule. He might
come high, but what's a few dol
lars when a Sugar, or a Rose, or
a Cotton bowl i at. stake?. Further
more, he is absolutely guaranteed.
i A certain amount of skulldug-
gerry would be necessary to get
Clarence into the lineup on the
big day. His teammates would
have to be careful not to address
him as ''Ace'", lest they arouse
suspicion, and it would be smart
to, give him a crew haircut and a
close shave, as Clarence is going
on 26.
Parker is, in the opinion of plen-
ty of the experts, the greatest foot
ball player in the world today.
And any time you see n OF
these all-time, All-America galax-
les that doesn't have the former
Duke star somewhere i'll its back
field, pay no attention, lisa fraud.
This admittedly is composed at
white heat, after having watched
the Ace for the fourth straight
Sunday pick the Dodgers up by
the slack of their pants and propel
them to victory owe powerful pro
fessional clubs-the Washington
Redskins, the New York Giants,
the Chicago. Cardinals a nd the
Cleveland RAM.
By the sheer brilliance of Park
er's play, the Dodgers, otherwise
an uninspired outfit, fought their
way into second ,lace in the east
ern division of the National Pro
fessional league. .
Somewher2 in the dim past there
might have been another back who
could have done these things. May
be Thorpe or Hestoa OF Grange or
Movers. But permit me to doubt it.
The brand of football the profess
SIGNALS play today is terrible in
it's demands, and Parker is its
master. -,
To stand out as Parker does in
pro company requires near-perfec-
ton in every department Of play.
Arrayed against hiro are the finest
players the colleges have produced
-passers like Sammy Baugh, Da-
vey. O'Brien and Sid Luckman,
runners like "Tuffy Leemans, Whiz-
ger White and john. Drake; and
the best punters, blockers and
tacklers from every section.
Yet Parker combines such tai
ent for every phase of the game
that he's virtually impossible to
hold in hand. =.
When Baugh gets the ball for in
stance; the opposition rushes. Sam
my with IMMUNITY because it knows
he is going to throw one some
where. But who Parker gets the
ball, it's "a ticklish business what
to do. He. is a. dangerous as there
is in the game, and if the initial
,rushers miss him, or if the defense
fans too far back, to cover pass re.
ceivers, then the Ace i. off to the
races.
If the. defense decides to rush
him and neglects in the slightest
one receiver somewhere down
field, then Parker can whip the
longest pass with deadly accuracy.
In the final game against the
Giants he completed one to Dick
Cassiano that Travelled SIS yards in
the air.
In the same game the Giants be-
came so intent upon smashing
Brooklyn's one man gang" behind
the line that. his teammate, Banks
McFadden, was able to run into
the end zone and catch a touch
down pass with no Giant within
10 yards of him.
The Ace is an exceptionally fine
punter and placement kicker, a
splendid blocker and a sure-shot
tack1er from his safety position.
In the Dodgers final game he got
off one quiek-kick that went So
yards and out of bounds on the
two-yard line. In addition, he is
extremely durable.
There has been some talk. about
Parker giving UP the gridiron and
concentrating. on baseball. He has
proved himself a>igood minor
league shortstop with a terrific bat.
ting average, and Manager Frank
- ! =. 80. -. -.
s6'se*x orth s o., eest' q