39 WILLIE
PARKER
2007 (15-15/0-0):
Started the first 15
games before breaking his leg in the Week 16 win over St. Louis…placed on
Reserve/Injured List on Dec. 24…was leading the NFL in rushing at the time of
his injury…still finished fourth in the NFL with 1,316 yards and two touchdowns
on 321 carries (4.1 avg.)…321 carries led the NFL…named to Pro Bowl for a second
consecutive season (missed game due to injury)…named FedEx Ground Player of the
Week in Week 8 after rushing 22 times for 126 yards (5.7 avg.) and a touchdown
in the win over the Bengals…had a career-high and league-best eight 100-yard
games, which was the fourth most on the Steelers’ single-season list…posted his
third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign, third-most in team history behind Franco
Harris and Jerome Bettis…caught 23 passes for 164 yards (7.1 avg.)…twice had a
season-high 28 carries, first in Week 5 against Seattle (28-102-3.6 avg.) and in
Week 13 against Cincinnati (28-87-3.1 avg.)…his 32-yard run in Week 8 at
Cincinnati was a season-long... 9/9 at
Cleveland: Had 27 carries for 109 yards (4.0 avg.), with a 25-yard long…had
his first 100-yard rushing game of the season, giving him the 14th of
his career…the Steelers continued their six-game winning streak, when he rushes
for 100 yards…surpassed John Fuqua on the Steelers all-time rushing leaders list
to take the 11th spot, with a total of 2,991 yards...9/16 vs. Buffalo: Had 23 carries for
126 yards (5.5 avg.), with a 24-yard long…recorded his second 100-yard rushing
game of the season, which gives him his 15th of his career…also
caught two passes for seven yards (3.5 avg.), with an eight-yard long…became the
11th Steelers running back to rush for 3,000 yards in his
career...also surpassed Merril Hoge on the Steelers all-time rushing leaders
list to take the 10th spot, with a total of 3,117 yards...9/23 vs. San Francisco: Registered 24
carries for 133 yards (5.5 avg.), with a 23-yard long…had his fourth consecutive
and 16th career 100-yard rushing game…also recorded one catch for
nine yards…the Steelers continued their eight-game winning streak when he rushes
for 100 yards...9/30 at Arizona:
Made his 35th start at RB…had 19 carries for 37 yards (1.9 avg.)
including a long of 20 yards…also registered four catches for 29 yards (7.3
avg.)…moved up to the ninth spot on the Steelers all-time rushing leaders board
with 3,287, passing Fran Rogel...10/7
vs. Seattle: Had his 36th start at RB and logged 28 carries for
102 yards (3.6 avg.)…his 102-yard performance gave him his 17th
career and fourth 100-yard game of the season…also took over the eighth position
on the all-time rushing leader board, surpassing Walter Abercrombie, with 3,389
career rushing yards…helped extend the Steelers’ nine-game winning streak when
he rushes for 100 yards...10/21 at
Denver: Started at RB and had 21 carries for 93 yards (4.4 avg.) including a
long of 27 yards… also had two receptions for 34 yards (17.0 avg.), which put
him over 500 career receiving yards (533)...10/28 at Cincinnati: Made his
30th consecutive start at RB…registered 22 carries for 126 yards (5.7
avg.), including a 32-yard long and one rushing TD…also had two catches for
eight yards (4.0 avg.)…moved to ninth on the Steelers’ all-time career rushing
attempts list with 862, passing Walter Abercrombie…his 126-yard performance gave
him his fifth 100-yard game of the season and the 18th of his
career…also helped extend the Steelers’ winning streak to 11 games when he
rushes for 100 yards...11/5 vs.
Baltimore: Made his 31st consecutive start at RB…had 23 carries
for 42 yards (1.8 avg.) including a long of five yards…also had one catch for 17
yards...11/11 vs. Cleveland: Started
in his 40th career game at RB…finished with 105 rushing yards on 25
attempts (4.2 avg.) and added two catches for eight yards (4.0 avg.)…his 105
rushing yards gave his his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the
19th such performance of his career...11/18 at N.Y. Jets: Played in his
50th career game and tallied his 50th start at RB…rushed
for 52 yards on 21 carries (2.5 avg.), including a 14-yard long...11/26 vs. Miami: Posted his
34th consecutive start at RB…finished with 81 yards rushing on 24
attempts (3.4 avg.), including a long of nine yards…passed Rocky Bleier on the
team’s all-time rushing list to move into seventh place with 3,888
yards…eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season (1,006)…also
caught one pass for an eight-yard gain...12/2 vs. Cincinnati: Made his
35th consecutive start at HB…finished with 87 yards rushing on 28
carries (3.1 avg.), including a 12-yard long…moved into fifth place on the
team’s all-time rushing list, ahead of Dick Hoak, with 3,975 yards…also caught
one pass for 14 yards...12/9 at New
England: Made his 36th consecutive start at HB…finished with 124
yards on 21 carries (5.9 avg.), giving him his seventh 100-yard rushing
performance of the season and the 20th of his career…had a 30-yard
run early in the second quarter…also caught four passes for 23 yards (5.8
avg.)…eclipsed the 4,000-yard career rushing mark and moved into fourth on the
team’s all-time rushing list (4,099)…became the fourth player in Steelers’
history to rush for at least 4,000 career yards...12/16 vs. Jacksonville: Made his
45th career start at HB…finished with 100 yards rushing on 14 carries
(7.1 avg.), including a long of 27 yards…had his eighth 100-yard rushing game of
the season and the 21st of his career…moved into fourth on the team’s
single-season 100-yard rushing games list...also caught two passes for nine
yards...12/20 at St. Louis: Made his
38th consecutive start, while playing in his 55th career
game…left the game after registering one rush for a loss of one yard due to a
broken fibula, on the offenses second play from scrimmage...12/24: Placed on Reserve/Injured
List.
2006
(16-16): Earned
his first trip to the Pro Bowl after posting a career-high 1,494 rushing yards,
the third-highest single-season rushing performance in team history…also broke
the team record by scoring 16 total touchdowns, including 13 rushing…had seven
100-yard rushing games…broke the team's single-game rushing record by totaling
223 yards on 32 carries (7.0 avg.) at home against Cleveland…was named the
team's MVP and also earned NFL Player of the Week in Week 10…9/7 vs. Miami: Had 29 carries for 115
yards (4.0 avg.) and a long of 32…recorded his seventh career 100-yard game and
third straight in the regular season…caught three passes for 13 yards (4.3 avg.)
and a long of nine…9/18 at
Jacksonville: Ran for 20 yards on 11 carries (1.8 avg.) with a long of
eight...also caught three passes for six yards (2.0 avg.) with a long of
four…passed Bill Dudley (1,505) and Sidney Thornton (1,512) into 19th
place on the Steelers all-time rushing list…9/24 vs. Cincinnati: Recorded a then
career-high 31 carries for 133 yards (4.3 avg.) and a long 26…rushed for a
career-high two touchdowns…caught one pass for 13 yards…10/8 at San Diego: Rushed 14
times for 57 yards (4.1 avg.) with a long of 15…scored on a nine-yard run to
give the Steelers an early 7-0 lead…caught three passes for 26 yards (8.7 avg.)
with a long of 15…passed Amos Zereoue (1,698) for 18th place on the
Steelers' all-time rushing list…10/15 vs. Kansas City: Rushed 21
times for 109 yards (5.2 avg.), his third 100-yard rushing game of the season
and ninth career…has rushed for 100 yards in all three games at Heinz Field on
the season (fourth straight dating to last season)…tied a career high with two
rushing TDs…broke a career high with five rushing touchdowns on the season…broke
a few tackles to score on an eight-yard run in the second quarter to give the
Steelers a 21-0 lead…had a long rush of 25 yards…10/22 at Atlanta: Rushed 20 times for
47 yards (2.4 avg.) with a long of 16…10/29 at Oakland: Rushed 22 times for
83 yards (3.8 avg.) with a long of 39…caught two passes for 28 yards, including
a 25-yard touchdown strike on a screen pass…passed Earnest Jackson (1,921) and
Lynn Chandnois (1,934) for 16th place on the Steelers' all-time
rushing list with 1,952 yards…11/5 vs.
Denver: Rushed for 70 yards on 14 carries (5.0 avg.) for one TD and a long
of 20…caught a team-high (tied) seven passes for 67 yards (9.6 avg.) and one
touchdown…his seven receptions and 67 yards mark new career single game
highs…caught a 15-yard TD from a scrambling Ben Roethlisberger for the team's
first score…ran for a three-yard touchdown in the third quarter…set a new
single-season high in receptions…broke the 2,000-yard mark for his career…11/12 vs. New Orleans: Had a career
day, earning AFC Player of the Week for Week 10…rushed 22 times for 213 yards
(9.7 avg.) and two touchdowns…213 rushing yards is second highest single-game
total in Steelers' history (218 - Frenchy Fuqua, 12/20/70 at
Philadelphia)…became the first NFL player to rush for over 200 yards this
season, and became only the second player in the last 40 years to rush for over
200 yards after not being drafted (227 - Priest Holmes, 11/22/98 at
Cincinnati)…had rushes of 72 and 76 yards, marking the first time that a player
has rushed twice for over 70 yards in a single game since 1997 (Barry Sanders,
Oct. 17)…76-yard rush was the longest run in Heinz Field history…scored on
touchdown runs of three and four yards…now has eight rushing TDs on the season
and 10 total (eight rushing and two receiving)…caught two passes for 12 yards,
with a long of 13…11/19 at
Cleveland: Rushed 16 times for 46 yards (2.9 avg.) with a long of five and
one touchdown…caught four passes for 17 yards (4.3 avg.) with a long of 16 and
one touchdown…has scored 12 touchdowns on the season (tied with four other
players for fourth on the Steelers' all-time list)…now has 2,281 career rushing
yards, passing Preston Pearson and Terry Bradshaw fro 14th place on
the Steelers' all-time rushing list…11/26 at Baltimore: Rushed for 22 yards
on 10 carries (2.2 avg.) with a long of 12…caught two passes for 15 yards with a
long of 10…12/3 vs. Tampa Bay:
Rushed 22 times for 61 yards (2.8 avg.) with a long of 14…caught one pass for 25
yards that helped set up a Jeff Reed field goal…eclipsed 500 rushes on his
career…12/7 vs. Cleveland: Set a new
Steelers' single-game rushing record with 223 yards...eclipsed the previous high
(218) set by John Fuqua (12/20/70 at Philadelphia)…had 32 rushes for a 7.0-yard
average and a long rush of 39…scored on a three-yard run in the third quarter,
his 10th rushing touchdown on the season (13th overall)…13
touchdowns ranks third (tied) in Steelers' single-season history…broke the
1,000-yard rushing mark for the second consecutive season (joining Franco Harris
and Jerome Bettis as the only Steelers to accomplish the feat)…tied a career
high with five 100-yard rushing games…set a new career high in carries on the
season with 264 (255, 2005)…his 32 carries was one rush shy of tying for eighth
place on the Steelers' all-time list…ranks 13th on the Steelers'
all-time rushing list with 2,587 yards, passing Kordell Stewart (2,561)…with his
223-yard performance, became the first Steelers player to rush for over 200
yards twice in one season…12/17 at
Carolina: Rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries (5.7 avg.) in his home state of
North Carolina…raced for a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter to give the
Steelers a 27-3 lead…surpassed his single-season career-high rushing yards
(1,202), set last season…raised his career rushing total to 1,331 yards,
fifth-best single-season total in Steelers' history…has scored 11 rushing
touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns (14 total), which ties Franco Harris
(1976) for second most touchdowns in a single season in Steelers' history…11
rushing touchdowns ties for third on the Steelers' single-season all-time
list…passed Tom Tracy (2,712) for 12th place on the Steelers'
all-time rushing list with 2,719 yards…12/24 vs. Baltimore: Totaled 29 rushing
yards on 13 carries (2.2 avg.) with a long of eight…passed Jerome Bettis (1,341)
for fourth place on the Steelers' all-times single season rushing list with
1,360…tied Franco Harris (1977) for seventh place on the Steelers' all-time
single season attempts list with 300…12/31 at Cincinnati: Became the
Steelers' all-time single-season touchdown leader by scoring on two touchdown
runs of one yard, giving him 16 total touchdowns (13 rushing, 3 receiving) on
the season surpassing Louis Lipps (15, 1985)…13 touchdowns tied Jerome Bettis
(2004) for the second most rushing touchdown in Steelers' single-season
history…rushed a career-high 37 times for 134 yards (3.6 avg.) with a long of
17…marked the seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season (12th
career)…seven 100-yard rushing games in a season tied for fourth best on the
team's single-season list…increased season rushing total to 1,494 yards,
surpassing Jerome Bettis (1,431) for third place on the Steelers' all-time
single-season rushing yards…37 attempts in the game ties for the second highest
single-game total (Amos Zereoue, 11/10/02 vs. Atlanta) in team history…337
attempts on the season ranks fourth on the Steelers' all-time single-season
list...added two catches for 11 yards with a long of nine.
2005
(15-15/4-4):
Finished the season with 1,202 yards
(the sixth highest total in team history) on 225 carries (5.8 avg.) and four
TDs…became the first Steelers' rusher to gain 1,000 since Jerome Bettis
did it in 2001 (1,072) and is the first back other than Bettis to rush for 1,000
yards since Barry Foster in 1992…broke a 75-yard run for his first postseason
touchdown, the longest run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, surpassing
Marcus Allen's 74-yard run in Super Bowl XVIII…9/11
vs. Tennessee: Made first career start…set a career high and team
Kickoff Weekend record with 161 yards rushing on 22 carries (7.3 avg.),
including an 11-yard TD run…had a 45 yard run from scrimmage…totaled 209 yards
from scrimmage, including a 48-yard reception on a screen pass…earned AFC
Offensive Player of the Week honors…9/18 at Houston: Started his second
career game and recorded his third consecutive 100-yard performance, dating back
to last year…rushed 25 times for 111 yards (4.4 avg.) and one TD…had a long run
of 19 yards on his first rushing attempt…9/25
vs. New England: Started his
third consecutive game…rushed 17 times for 55 yards and had one catch for minus
(-6) yards…10/10 at San Diego: Rushed for 26
yards on 10 carries…caught one pass for 14 yards…10/16 vs. Jacksonville: Had 55 yards on 21 rushes (2.6 avg.)
and a long 12…10/23 at Cincinnati: Started at running back for the sixth
straight game…rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries (7.3 avg.) and a 37-yard
touchdown…marked the third 100-yard rushing game of the season (fourth in his
career)…10/31 vs. Baltimore: Started the
seventh straight game and finished with a game high 63 yards on 14 carries (4.5
avg.)…also caught two passes out of the backfield for 18 yards…11/6
at Green Bay: Started at
running back for the eighth straight game…rushed five times for 13 yards (2.6
avg.) with a long of eight…also had one reception for 10 yards…left the game
with an ankle sprain…11/13 vs. Cleveland: Was inactive due to ankle injury…11/20 at Baltimore: Started at running back for the ninth
time this season…rushed 18 times for 59 yards (3.3 avg.) and a long of 14…caught
two passes for 22 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown pass with 5:15 remaining
in regulation to tie the game at 13-13…was his first career touchdown
receiving…11/28 at Indianapolis: Started at
running back for the 10th time this season…led the team with 43 yards
on 12 carries (3.6 avg.)…had a long run of 24 yards…tied for the team lead with
four receptions for 23 yards (5.8 avg.)…12/4
vs. Cincinnati: Rushed for
71 yards on 15 carries (7.1 avg.) and a long of 17…caught one pass for 11
yards…12/11 vs. Chicago: Compiled 113 all-purpose yards on 23
touches (4.9 avg.)...rushed for 68 yards on 21 carries (3.2 avg.) and caught two
passes for 45 yards...caught a 45-yard screen pass on the game's opening
touchdown drive…12/18 at Minnesota: Rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries (5.8
avg.) with a long of 49…also caught two passes for 16 yards and a long of
nine…12/24 at Cleveland: Rushed for 130 yards on 17 carries
(7.6 avg.)…broke a career-long 80-yard touchdown run in the second half, tying
the fourth-longest run in franchise history (Kordell Stewart, 12/22/96 at
Carolina)…the 80-yard score also gave him more than 1,000 yards on the season,
becoming the first Steelers' rusher to gain 1,000 since Jerome Bettis did it in
2001 (1,072)…is the first back other than Jerome Bettis to rush for 1,000 yards
since Barry Foster in 1992…1/1 vs. Detroit: Started at running
back…rushed for 135 yards on a career-high 26 carries (5.2 avg.)…caught one pass
for 17 yards…finished the season with 1,202 rushing yards, the sixth-highest
single-season total in team history…his 4.7 avg. rushing tied Rocky Bleier
(1976) for eighth best in team history…AFC
Wild Card Game 1/8 at Cincinnati: Started at RB and gained 38 yards on
16 carries…caught three passes for 41 yards including a 19-yard TD reception…TD
reception was first postseason TD catch by a Steelers running back since Rocky
Bleier in Super Bowl XIII (Jan. 21, 1979)…AFC
Divisional Game 1/15 at Indianapolis: Rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries (3.5
avg.) with a long of 13…caught three passes for 19 yards (6.3 avg.) with a long
of 12…AFC Championship Game 1/22 at
Denver: Started at RB and gained 35 yards on 14 carries (2.5
avg.)…caught three passes for 20 yards (6.7 avg.)…Super Bowl XL 2/5 vs. Seattle: Rushed for 93 yards on 10 carries (9.3
avg.)…rushed for his first postseason touchdown with 75-yard run on the team's
first possession in the third quarter to give the Steelers a 14-3 lead…75-yard
touchdown run is the longest run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history,
surpassing Marcus Allen's 74-yard run in Super Bowl XVIII…also had one catch for
one yard…handed the ball off to Antwaan Randle El on a gadget 43-yard TD play.
2004
(8-0/0-0):
Made
the final 53-man roster in 2004 as a rookie free agent…led the team in rushing
during the preseason with 202 rushing yards on 46 carries (4.4 avg.)…scored two
TDs…11/7 vs.
Philadelphia: Made his
first NFL regular-season appearance with the absence of Duce Staley…finished
with 14 yards on three carries, including a long of 10 yards...11/14 at Cleveland: Was active for the second
straight week with injuries to the running back position…finished with 44 yards
on eight carries (5.5 avg.) and a long of 24 yards...12/5 at Jacksonville: Had a pivotal 12-yard run of
the Steelers' final game-winning drive…also had one reception for 12 yards...12/12 vs. N.Y. Jets: Had one carry for 14 yards...1/2 at Buffalo: Produced his first 100-yard rushing
performance in his most significant action of the season…gained 102 yards on 19
carries (5.4 avg.), including a long of 58 yards, which set up the Steelers'
game-clinching field goal and was the Steelers' longest run from scrimmage since
Oct. 5, 1997, when Kordell Stewart ran 74 yards for a TD at Baltimore…also had
two receptions for four yards.
COLLEGE:
Earned "Super Ram" status in the weight room and was a member of Carolina's
strength & conditioning honor roll in summer of 2003. 2003: Played in nine games as a
senior…rushed for 181 yards on 48 attempts, an average of 3.8 yards per
carry…caught seven passes for 28 yards. 2002: Played in 11 games as a junior and
started two…started the season-opener against Miami (Ohio) and at
Virginia…finished second on the team with 70 carries for 236 yards and one
touchdown…also caught 12 passes for 104 yards. 2001: Started the first three games of the
season as a sophomore…played in nine games total…was second on the team in
rushing with 400 yards on 83 carries and had three touchdowns…caught two passes
for 26 yards. 2000: Had a
roller-coaster season as a freshman, but came on strong at the end of the
year…earned the starting job after spring practice, but injured his back in fall
workouts and was not completely healthy until the Virginia game, eight games
into the season…was second on the team in rushing with 84 carries for 355 yards
(4.2 avg.)…scored four touchdowns…majored in African-American history.
PERSONAL:
Attended Clinton High School…earned all-conference and all-region honors as a
junior and senior…rushed for 1,801 yards (12.3 avg.) and 18 touchdowns in
leading Clinton to the state 2-A quarterfinals...made 30 tackles, including 2.5
quarterback sacks, and intercepted two passes…was voted County Player of the
Year…rushed for 1,329 yards (11.8 yards per carry) and 20 touchdowns as a
junior, leading the Dark Horses to the state 2-A title…has one older sister and
two older brothers…Full name: Willie Everette Parker.
