Wharton grad named to UNT All-Century Team

[Harry]

Willie Parker, a 1967 Wharton High School graduate, was selected to UNTs elite team last month. The All-Century Football Team was announced April 13 at the schools annual Green-White Spring Game at Apogee Stadium in Denton.

The team was selected by fans after a 25-person selection panel made up of North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame members, football lettermen, sports-information personnel and members of the media including NFL Hall of Famer and UNT graduate Joe Greene chose the more than 120 players that made the ballot.

The elite team was part of the schools celebration of its 100th anniversary of the football program. The school was known as North Texas State University when Parker played for the Mean Green.

I was very fortunate and lucky to be at NTSU in the late 60s and early 70s as Joe Greene had attracted NFL pro scouts, and NFL teams were coming to our practices and watching films of all our games, Parker said in an email to Wharton ISD Superintendent Kay Shoppa.

We had a great coaching staff and many great/good football players on the 1969/70 football teams, Parker added.

Parker went on to play in the NFL for 11 seasons, 10 actively, as a snapper, guard and starting center. He played for the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.

Before Parker transferred to the Denton school, he played football at Wharton County Junior College for two years back when the college had a football program.

He earned conference postseason honors while playing for the Pioneers, and he was named the teams most valuable player in 1968.

Parker said he and his wife Gail, son Scott and three of his children Parkers grandsons, Kade, Kole and Kyler attended the UNT Hall of Fame luncheon earlier this month. Parker was selected to the team at center.

Read more: http://www.journal-spectator.com/sports/article_5bf232e0-aeac-11e2-ba08-001a4bcf887a.html