This week in North Tidewater history.
Died November 6, 2013; known for football and baseball
Clarence “Ace” Parker died on November 6, 2013, at age 101. He was born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1933. At Duke University, he played football, baseball, and basketball, and earned All-American honors in football. He later played professional football in the NFL and AAFC and professional baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1940, he was named NFL MVP. After his playing career, he coached baseball and football at Duke and managed the Durham Bulls. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. He was also a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame. Parker maintained ties to Portsmouth throughout his life and was a founding member of Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club.