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Former Steelers HC Buddy Parker one step closer to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Parker coached 8 of his 15 seasons with the Steelers from 1957 through 1964.

Coach Ray Parker with football players Preston Carpenter, Buddy Dial and John Burrell

Another Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has advanced one step further toward a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the organization announced Wednesday. Buddy Parker, who reigned as the Steelers head coach from 1957 through 1964, has reached the final stage of the selection process for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as a contributor/coach.

Parker’s most notable contributions came with Detroit Lions, where they won two NFL Championships prior to the NFL/AFL merger and the modern-day Super Bowl era. Parker held a .520 record in his tenure as the Steelers head coach, the fifth-winningest coach in Steelers history behind current HC Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher Jock Sutherland, and Chuck Noll. Notably, Cowher (2020) and Noll (1993) have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with Tomlin a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had just 16 head coaches in franchise history, and if inducted, Parker would be the sixth of them to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in some capacity, either as a player or coach.

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