Phil Parkes (footballer born 1947)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the former Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United goalkeeper of the same name see Phil Parkes (footballer born 1950).
Phil Parkes (born July 14, 1947, West Bromwich) is a former professional football goalkeeper. He was Wolverhampton Wanderers' first-choice keeper for much of the late '60s and early '70s.
Parkes joined Wanderers in 1962 straight from school and turned professional two years later. He made his first-team debut in November 1966, saving a penalty in a 3-2 Wolves win over Preston North End. For the following 9 seasons, Parkes missed few Wolves games and over a stretch the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons he appeared in 127 consecutive league matches, breaking Noel George's club record. He won the UEFA Cup runners-up medal in 1972. His 382 first-team appearances in goal is second in club history to Bert Williams.
Parkes moved to the North American Soccer League in the mid-70s, playing with the Vancouver Whitecaps three summers 1976, 1977,and 1979. He started ahead of backup goalie Bruce Grobbelaar the last two seasons and was voted the league's top goalkeeper for both. The Whitecaps won the Soccer Bowl in 1979. Parkes went on to play the next summer and part of '81 with the Chicago Sting, and he joined the San Jose Earthquakes for the remainder of '81. Parkes left the NASL to help lead the upstart Oklahoma City Slickers of the American Soccer League to the league finals in the 1982 season, but he left the Slickers in the middle of the 1983 season to return to the NASL with the Toronto Blizzard.
