| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Norris Parker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 1950 (aged 58–59)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1910 | Ashfield | ||
| 1910–1913 | Rangers | 17 | (17) |
| 1913–1921 | Everton | 84 | (68) |
| 1916–1917 | → Rangers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1917 | → Morton (loan) | 18 | (9) |
| 1921–1923 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 1923–1925 | Fraserburgh | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1925–1926 | Fraserburgh | ||
| 1926–? | Bohemians | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Norris Parker (27 March 1891 – 1950) was a Scottish professional footballer whose position was centre forward.
He played professionally in Scotland with Rangers and Morton[2] and in England with Everton and Nottingham Forest during a career interrupted by World War I, in which he was seriously injured. He later served as manager of Fraserburgh in Scotland and Bohemians in Ireland.
Born in Glasgow, Parker started his career with Junior team Ashfield, followed by three seasons at Rangers,[1][3] during which he had a scoring record of a goal every game but was always a backup to the equally prolific Willie Reid; Rangers won the Scottish Football League title in each of those years, but it is unclear if Parker was awarded any medals, having only featured in 2, 3 and 9 of the fixtures respectively.
With the situation unchanged at the beginning of a fourth campaign, he moved to England to play for Everton in 1913 for a fee of £1,500.[4] He finished as the top goalscorer for the Toffees in the 1913–14 and 1914–15 seasons, the latter of which he was the top goalscorer overall in the First Division while Everton was crowned champion.[5]
The First World War then interrupted Parker's career and ultimately robbed him of cementing a place amongst Everton's greats as he returned home from the conflict with a bullet lodged in his back.[4][6] The injury made him a shadow of his former self, and he was later sold to Nottingham Forest.[4]
In retirement, he worked as manager of Irish club Bohemians, where he coached them to the Clean Sweep in 1927–28, winning the League of Ireland, FAI Cup, Shield, and Leinster Senior Cup.[4]
Parker was a private in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and Labour Corps during the First World War.[6]
Everton
Bohemian