Portsmouth, Virginia native and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ace Parker’s Pro Football Hall of Fame gold sports jacket was donated to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum by the Parker family.
The distinctive gold jacket is given to Pro Football Hall of Famers during the induction ceremony, where they are also commemorated with a bust and given a ring. During the ceremony, previous inductees are also present and the majority of them will wear their gold jackets. Parker’s jacket is now on display at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum as part of the “Grid Iron Greats” display that showcases Virginia’s Pro Football Hall of Famers.
About Ace Parker: Clarence “Ace” Parker is a NFL legend and Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Inaugural Class of 1972 inductee. Parker was born in Portsmouth and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School before attending Duke University in 1933. Parker was a two-sport athlete. After being drafted to play Major League Baseball in 1937 by the Philadelphia Athletics, he hit a home run in his first Major League at-bat as a pinch hitter. Parker asked permission of the Athletics to play football for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and his football career took off. Parker was named NFL MVP in 1940. Not only is Parker a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, but he is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1972) and the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1955). Parker died on November 6, 2013 at the age of 101.
For more information about the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, visit www.vshfm.com or call (757) 393-8031.
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Chris Graham
