49er football legend Billy Parks passes at 61

By
Bob Keisser
on July 23, 2009 3:02 PM | | Comments (0) |

Billy Parks, the first All-American football player in Long Beach State history, passed away Thursday in Hawaii from melanoma. He was 61.

Parks was a legend as a 49er wide receiver at a time when the sport was still an important part of campus life. He played from 1967 to 1969 and holds the school's career records for receiving yards in a career (2,919), yards in a season (1,294 in 1967), yards in a game (298, in 1968), and career touchdowns (22).

He was second in the nation in receptions in 1967 with 79, was named an All-American in 1968, and overcame an injury-plagued 1969 season to be a sixth round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers.

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About the Blogger

Bob Keisser has been a sportswriter and columnist at the Long Beach Press Telegram since 1990, covering the Raiders and Dirtbags in his time here plus a potpourri of Long Beach teams and personalities. He arrived after a brief stint in local TV news that the Obama administration has since declared as torture. He worked with his colleague Doug Krikorian at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner sports department from 1974 to its end in 1989. He regrettably lives in Orange County.

E-mail Bob at bob.keisser@presstelegram.com.

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This page contains a single entry by Bob Keisser published on July 23, 2009 3:02 PM.

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