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Purdue Syracuse Villanova Virginia Wisconsin. Redblacks Stampeders. Featured Teams. Home Odds. Bayern Munich Dortmund. Celtic Rangers. Toggle navigation Subscribe. Signed as a free agent by the Steelers that off-season, Parker then had to fight for a roster spot and playing time in a backfield that included a future Hall of Famer and a three-time 1,yard rusher that was also brought in that off-season.
With the playoffs, the division title and home field for the playoffs locked up, the little known running back from North Carolina finally got his shot in the Week 17 finale in Buffalo. Many actually thought the Steelers would lose to the Bills , who were still fighting for a playoff spot while the Steelers would be resting several starters.
The game would be a chance for Parker and linebacker James Harrison to make their marks while offering a foreshadowing of things to come. In his first career start, Parker gashed Buffalo for yards on 19 carries that included a signature Fast Willie run, a yard jaunt through the heart of the Bills defense.
While Parker helped give Pittsburgh a slim lead late in the game, Harrison's fumble recovery for a touchdown helped ice an eventual win to give the Steelers a franchise-record 15 regular season wins. Parker's effort not only secured himself a roster spot for the upcoming season, it gave Bill Cowher the confidence to start him for the opening game of the season against Tennessee.
With Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley out with injuries, Fast Willie burst onto the scene, rushing for yards and his first career touchdown while also catching a pass for 48 yards in Pittsburgh's blowout victory. Parker would have a firm grip on the Steelers' starting running back job for the next four seasons, a stretch that included many memorable moments for both Parker and the Steelers.
Fast Willie continued to feast on opposing defenses that season, rushing for 1, yards for an average of 4. In the playoffs, Parker rushed for another yards that included his iconic yard touchdown scamper in Pittsburgh's win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL.
The run was vintage Parker, finding the hole, bursting through the line and outrunning everyone to the end zone. With Bettis' retirement minutes following the Super Bowl, the baton was passed firmly to Parker, who responded by being arguably the NFL's best running back in each of the next two seasons.
He rushed for 1, yards in while piling up 1, total yards and 16 touchdowns while also rushing for not one but two yard games on his way to being named to his first Pro Bowl. Parker was even better in , rushing for over yards in seven of the teams first nine games and leading the NFL in rushing heading into a Week 15 Thursday Night Football game in St.
This is where the story takes an unfortunate turn, as Parker suffered a leg injury on the one and only carry of the night. The injury shelved Parker for the rest of the season, and sadly, Parker was never the same for the remainder of his career.
As was the case three years earlier, there was a passing of the torch in regards to the Steelers backfield, but this time it was Parker on the passing end. The Steelers had drafted Rashard Mendenahll in the first round of the Draft, and Parker knew as well as anyone that his time as the team's featured back was closing. Just as Bettis had displayed to him, Parker was the consummate professional in dealing with Mendenhall, helping him throughout training camp despite fully knowing that the rookie was there to replace him.
Parker forged ahead, rushing for yards and three touchdowns in the Steelers' Opening Day victory over Houston. While his numbers weren't what they one were, Parker still had those moments of greatness, most notably his yard, two touchdown effort in the teams divisional playoff win over San Diego.
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