Chicago Sun-Times · Jul 13, 2022
Former Bears punter Bob Parsons dies at 72
Bob Parsons (talking to the media after a tentative settlement of the 1982 strike) still holds the franchise record of 884 career punts in his 12-year career.Former Bears punter/tight end Bob Parsons, whose NFL record of 114 punts set in 1981 still stands, died last Friday at 72.
Parsons, a fifth-round draft pick out of Penn State, played for the Bears from 1972-83 — he was a tight end from 1972-77 and the Bears’ full-time punter from 1974-83. He played in 167 consecutive games — a franchise record at the time —before he was cut by Mike Ditka with two games left in the 1983 season after Ditka was miffed that Parsons had contacted the USFL’s Chicago Blitz about a coaching job.
