Parnell Dickinson Parnell Dickinson ( born March 14 , 1953 ) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League ( NFL ) for one season . Over the course of his career , he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards , threw one touchdown and five interceptions , and finished his career with a passer rating of 25 . 5 . A four - year starting quarterback at Mississippi Valley State University , Dickinson was drafted by the Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft . He served as the backup quarterback behind Steve Spurrier his rookie season , and saw playing time in eight games , including one start against the Miami Dolphins . His season ended after suffering an injury in a game against the Cleveland Browns . He recovered from the injury and tried to make the team in 1977 , but was cut , ending his career . After retiring , he became a high school offensive coordinator in Tampa . College career . Dickinson played college football at Mississippi Valley State . He was the quarterback for the team during his freshman year in 1972 . His performances that season included a game against the Southern Jaguars where he completed 15 of 31 passes for 180 yards and rushed for two touchdown s in a 23 – 13 win . At the end of the season , Dickinson was named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ( NAIA ) all - star team as a quarterback alongside Ralph Brock . In his sophomore year , Dickinson was awarded the team ' s top sportsman award , given to the player with the best attitude and morale . In 1974 , his junior year , Dickinson threw for 1 , 667 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of the season . In his first three seasons , he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total offense . Dickinson ' s performances his senior year included a comeback victory over Prairie View A & M , when he threw a touchdown pass with just over a minute left to win the game , 27 – 26 after being down 26 – 14 with under four minutes left . After the season ended , he was named to the Black College All - American football team for the second year in a row . Professional career . After graduating from college , Dickinson was selected by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 183rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft . Buccaneers ' head coach John McKay said that Dickinson was considered the second best prospect on his draft board behind Richard Todd . Steve Spurrier had the starting job wrapped up when he was signed to the team , and as a result Dickinson spent the offseason competing for a backup quarterback spot alongside Bill Cappleman and James Foote . Dickinson started off training camp by throwing the hardest passes of the four quarterbacks , and had a few accuracy issues in the process . Dickinson served as the second - string quarterback throughout the preseason . In a game against the Green Bay Packers , he led the Buccaneers to their first touchdown as a team . By the end of preseason , his place was on the roster was solidified behind Spurrier , as Cappleman and Foote were cut and replaced by Gary Valbuena and Larry Lawrence . Dickinson completed one of five passes for 15 yards in his first professional game against the Houston Oilers after coming in for Spurrier late in the game . The following week , the Buccaneers faced the San Diego Chargers . In that game , Dickinson again came into the game , rushing three times for 54 yards and throwing an interception that was returned by Tom Hayes for a touchdown . He did not play against the Buffalo Bills the following week , but Spurrier ended up getting injured , meaning that Dickinson was slated to possibly get his first NFL start against the Baltimore Colts . Spurrier ended up starting the game , but Dickinson did see playing time against the Colts , completing one of five passes for 12 yards and throwing an interception in a 42 – 17 loss ; he attempted only one pass the following week in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals . Two weeks after the Bengals ' game , Dickinson was slated to start against the Miami Dolphins on October 24 . In the game , he completed all four passes he attempted for 51 yards , and led a 71 yard touchdown drive . However , he suffered a twisted foot and ankle during the game , and was sidelined for what was then an indefinite amount of time . Dickinson returned two weeks later , failing to complete a pass in a game against the Denver Broncos , and allowing another interception that was returned by John Rowser for a touchdown . Dickinson had his most productive outing the following week , completing 7 of 13 passes for 103 yards in a loss to the New York Jets . His last game of the season was against the Cleveland Browns . He completed two of three passes for 29 yards in the fourth quarter . After completing the first two passes , he was intercepted by Terry Brown and was hit late after throwing the pass . The result was torn ligaments in his left knee , which ended his season . Despite the season - ending injury , there was still optimism about Dickinson being the Buccaneers ' quarterback of the future due to his scrambling ability . Dickinson went through knee surgery during the offseason , but there was still concern about whether he had a future in the NFL . That was set aside when he was considered to be progressing well in his recovery as of early July 1977 . During the Buccaneers ' offseason , the quarterbacks on the roster changed entirely , with Dickinson being the only holdover ; Gary Huff was now the starter , and Dickinson was fighting for a backup role alongside Mike Boryla and Randy Hedberg . After the Buccaneers lost Boryla and Huff to injuries , the former for the season , Dickinson ended up being the starting quarterback for the team ' s final preseason game against the Bills . In the game , Dickinson completed 2 of 12 passes for - 2 yards and was sacked three times in a 17 – 6 loss . A week after the game against the Bills , Dickinson was released by the Buccaneers along with four other players . The Buccaneers re - signed him after Huff got injured in late October , but Dickinson was again released a couple weeks later . In 1978 , Dickinson signed with the New England Patriots . Their quarterback situation was set , and in order to make his way onto an NFL roster , he joined the team as a wide receiver . He was released from the team a month later , and ended his career with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League . Later life . After retiring from football , Dickinson became an insurance salesman and opened two daycare centers . He also became offensive coordinator at Tampa Catholic High School in the 1980s after being recruited by fellow Buccaneer Dave Lewis . In 1992 , Dickinson became an inaugural member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame .