William Nolen Parker is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 center

Center (American football)

Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...

 who played for eight seasons in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

.

San Francisco 49ers

Parker was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 in the 1971 NFL Draft

1971 NFL Draft

The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...

, but he never played a game for them.

Buffalo Bills

In 1977, his fifth year with the Buffalo Bills, Parker became their starting center, replacing Mike Montler

Mike Montler

Michael R. Montler was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Boston/New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and the Detroit Lions.-University of Colorado:...

. Despite a strong middle of the offensive line with Parker flanking left guard Reggie McKenzie

Reggie McKenzie

Reggie McKenzie may refer to:*Reggie McKenzie , offensive guard who played in the NFL, 1972–1984*Reggie McKenzie , linebacker who played in the NFL, 1985–1992...

 and Hall-of-Fame right guard Joe DeLamielleure

Joe DeLamielleure

Joseph Michael DeLamielleure is a former American football offensive lineman who was an All-American at Michigan State. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He won All-Rookie Honors, after finding out a physical condition with his irregular heartbeat was...

 in all 14 games, that team had a bad 3-11 won-lost record, the offense scoring only 160 points (11.4 points/game), 26th among 28 teams in the NFL. The team's fortune improved to 5-11 in 1978 and 7-9 in 1979, the first two years with Chuck Knox

Chuck Knox

Charles Robert "Chuck" Knox is a former American football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is best remembered as head coach of three National Football League teams, the Seattle Seahawks, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Rams, serving two separate stints with...

 as the head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

, the same linemene trio up the middle in all 16 games during both years. However, in the following year, Parker was replaced by third year pro Will Grant

Will Grant

Wilfred L. Grant is a former American football center in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks.-Buffalo Bills:...

.

Detroit Lions

In 1980, his final year in the NFL, Parker went to the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

, starting only once in 4 games.