Vito "Babe" Parilli (born 1930) of the University of Kentucky was an All-American starting quarterback for the Wildcats under Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. He was an example of the NFL's lack of player evaluation skills. Branded as an "NFL reject", Parilli was picked up by the American Football League's Oakland Raiders in 1960, and later, as a Boston Patriot, went on to become one of the AFL's most productive and colorful players. He played for the Patriots from 1961 through 1966, and was a three-time American Football League All-Star. In 1964, throwing to fellow Hall of Famer Gino Cappelletti, he amassed nearly 3,500 yards passing, with 31 touchdowns.
Parilli completed his career with the
New York Jets, where after the 1968 season in Super Bowl III, he earned a
World Championship ring as
Joe Namath's backup in the destruction of the NFL Champion Colts. He is one of only twenty players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence. Parilli is a member of the
American Football League Hall of Fame and the University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.
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