Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Buddy Parker is now one step closer to enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Parker, who was the Steelers’ head coach from 1957-64, is among 12 coaches who advanced from a group of 15 nominees for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Coach Category, according to Steelers.com.
To reach the Hall of Fame through the Coach Category, Parker has to be the finalist from a committee of nine voters, who will whittle the group from 12 to 9 and then vote on the nine to eliminate down to one selection.
During his stint with the Steelers, Parker led the franchise to its first winning season, a 7-4-1 mark in 1958. Later in his tenure with the Black and Gold, Parker led the Steelers to a 9-5 record in 1962, which was his best season with Pittsburgh.
Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Parker was the head coach of the Detroit Lions, leading them to two NFL Championships with Bobby Layne at quarterback, a player he later traded for in Pittsburgh and had some success with.
While in Pittsburgh, Parker had some success with the moribund franchise, holding a .500 or better record in five of his eight seasons, marking the best stretch of football the Steelers had to that point.
But ahead of the 1965 season, Parker resigned, putting the Steelers back into some dark days of football as Mike Nixon and Bill Austin struggled. Those struggles ultimately led to Chuck Noll being hired in 1969, eventually leading to the incredible Steelers dynasty.
Parker was nominated in the Coach Category in for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 but didn’t make it and was up for enshrinement with the Senior Committee, but was snubbed.
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