Former Saints tight end Dave Parks dies at 77

Former New Orleans Saints tight end Dave Parks passed away at the age of 77 last week in Austin, Texas.

Parks played for the Saints for five seasons (1968-1972), amassing 149 catches for 2,254 yards and 16 touchdowns. While Parks was a good player, the Saints never came close to being a winning team in that era, going just 17-48-5 overall, with the best season being a 5-9 record in 1969, the third year of the franchise.

Selected No. 1 overall in the 1964 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers out of Texas Tech, Parks proved to be worth the investment. He caught 80 passes for 1,344 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1965, topping the league in all three categories. Parks had the distinction of being the first wide receiver to be drafted with the top overall pick in the NFL draft.

After three outstanding seasons in San Francisco, Parks went on to sign with the Saints in 1968. To obtain Parks, the Saints played a steep price, giving up two first-round picks to the 49ers.

Parks joined a solid receiving corps in New Orleans, which included future Saints Hall of Fame inductee Danny Abramowicz, who led the NFL in receptions in 1968, along with New Orleans area native Al Dodd and John Gilliam, among others.

Parks caught passes from Bill Kilmer for his first three seasons and from Archie Manning in his last two seasons in New Orleans.

Parks was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.