Parnell Dickinson (born March 14, 1953) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for one season. Over the course of his career, he played in eight games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completed 15 of 39 passes for 210 yards, threw one touchdown and five interceptions, and finished his career with a passer rating of 25.5.
A four-year starting quarterback at Mississippi Valley State University, Dickinson was the first quarterback drafted by the Buccaneers in franchise history, taken in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He served as the backup quarterback behind Steve Spurrier his rookie season, and saw playing time in eight games, including one start against the Miami Dolphins. In his start vs Miami, Dickinson threw the first touchdown pass by a Tampa Bay quarterback in franchise history.
His season ended after suffering an injury in a game against the Cleveland Browns. He recovered from the injury and tried to make the team in 1977, but was cut, ending his career. After retiring, he became a high school offensive coordinator in Tampa.
College career
Dickinson played college football at Mississippi Valley State. He was the quarterback for the team during his freshman year in 1972. His performances that season included a game against the Southern Jaguars where he completed 15 of 31 passes for 180 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in a 23–13 win. At the end of the season, Dickinson was named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) all-star team as a quarterback alongside Ralph Brock. In his sophomore year, Dickinson was awarded the team's top sportsman award, given to the player with the best attitude and morale.
In 1974, his junior year, Dickinson threw for 1,667 yards and 21 touchdowns over the course of the season. In his first three seasons, he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in total offense. Dickinson's performances his senior year included a comeback victory over Prairie View A&M, when he threw a touchdown pass with just over a minute left to win the game, 27–26 after being down 26–14 with under four minutes left. After the season ended, he was named to the Black College All-American football team for the second year in a row.
Professional career
After graduating from college, Dickinson was selected by the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 183rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1976 NFL Draft. Buccaneers' head coach John McKay said that Dickinson was considered the second best prospect on his draft board behind Richard Todd. Steve Spurrier had the starting job wrapped up when he was signed to the team, and as a result Dickinson spent the offseason competing for a backup quarterback spot alongside Bill Cappleman and James Foote. Dickinson started off training camp by throwing the hardest passes of the four quarterbacks, and had a few accuracy issues in the process. Dickinson served as the second-string quarterback throughout the preseason. In a game against the Green Bay Packers, he led the Buccaneers to their first touchdown as a team. By the end of preseason, his place was on the roster was solidified behind Spurrier, as Cappleman and Foote were cut and replaced by Gary Valbuena and Larry Lawrence.
Dickinson completed one of five passes for 15 yards in his first professional game against the Houston Oilers after coming in for Spurrier late in the game. The following week, the Buccaneers faced the San Diego Chargers. In that game, Dickinson again came into the game, rushing three times for 54 yards and throwing an interception that was returned by Tom Hayes for a touchdown. He did not play against the Buffalo Bills the following week, but Spurrier ended up getting injured, meaning that Dickinson was slated to possibly get his first NFL start against the Baltimore Colts. Spurrier ended up starting the game, but Dickinson did see playing time against the Colts, completing one of five passes for 12 yards and throwing an interception in a 42–17 loss; he attempted only one pass the following week in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.