CINCINNATI – Dave Lapham and Lemar Parrish were appreciative and, at times, emotional while talking to reporters Wednesday about being the newest members of the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.
Lapham spoke for 26 minutes about his long Bengals career that included 10 seasons as a player and his upcoming 40th in the broadcast booth as the team’s radio analyst.
He will celebrate his 1,000th game with the team this season.
Parrish talked for 17 minutes about his time in Cincinnati, which surprisingly was cut short in 1977 when the team traded him after he went to four consecutive Pro Bowls and six in his first eight season.
The former cornerback, who still ranks fifth in NFL history in most non-offensive points scored, had some interesting things to say about his response to the trade, both then and now.
Here are some of the other most interesting things Parrish and Lapham had to say after the team announced they will be part of the fifth induction class to the Ring of Honor.
Parrish, who played running back in college and obviously was dynamic with the ball in his hands given his 13 career touchdowns, on why the creative Paul Brown never once used him on offense:
“Because of my speed and my quickness and my ability to catch the ball, they did talk about that. But Paul needed a defensive back, and Paul told them, ‘No. I’m going to utilize him on defense.’ And I never got the chance to play offense. I’m glad I didn’t, because I was too small to be a running back. I would not have lasted. I take my hat off to Coach Brown for recognizing talent. I was drafted as an ‘athlete.’ They didn’t know where I was going to play, but they did know I was going to do punt returns, because that was my specialty.”
In 1974, Parrish averaged 18.8 yards per punt return. It remains the NFL’s highest single-season average since the 1970 merger (min. 14 returns).
Lapham trying to quickly scan 39 years of broadcasts for a favorite call he’s made:
“Doing a Super Bowl broadcast, that’s the pinnacle. It’s the pinnacle as a player. It’s a phenomenal achievement. There were a lot of big plays throughout the course of the season that helped you get there. In the Super Bowl, every single snap is important man. The game could hang in the balance. I guess plays over the course of the Super Bowl seasons the Bengals have had that have allowed them to get back into a game when down by 20 points or whatever the case may be, those are the plays that really stick with me.
"Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to make that game-winning call in a Super Bowl. But I feel fortunate to be part of three of them. That’s not something a lot of people can say as a player and broadcaster.”
Lapham on why he thinks Bengals fans have voted for three offensive linemen (Anthony Muñoz, Willie Anderson and himself) to be among the 11 players in the Ring of Honor:
“I think the fans appreciate the offensive line and offensive line play. And I think a big reason for that is the organization itself has always felt that way. Paul Brown was a big believer in it. Paul Brown played the quarterback position, so Paul Brown knew the only way he could put up numbers people thought were impressive and help his teammates achieve that standard as well was if the offensive line played well. I was fortunate enough to hear him in a couple of conversations at training camp talk about offensive line play and how his lines at Ohio State and his offensive lines with the Cleveland Browns, how dominant they were, and he wanted to make sure the Cincinnati Bengals were well stocked in that area as well.
"He was a big believer in building those positions and that position group to a high level of performance. Mike Brown played quarterback at Dartmouth himself. I think they’ve always valued offensive linemen. And eventually they drafted and developed the greatest offensive lineman to every play the game in Anthony Muñoz. Paul was very proud of that, and Mike is as well.”
Parrish on where his style and flair came from:
“I think it was God given. Definitely the speed and quickness. I just had a knack for making people miss. As a little boy, I played a lot of sandlot football. I was always the little guy, so I had to find a way to get around the big guys. My speed and my quickness were my greatest attributes, and I worked on them daily. I was on the beaches in the morning, running in the soft sand. I was running down the highways with the football in my hands. Every place you saw Lemar, I had a football in my hand.
"I didn't have anyone to pattern myself after. I had to go and create things on my own. And I'm very innovative. I spent a lot of time by myself because I didn't have anyone to work out with me at the time. I was the first to go off from Palm Beach County (Fla.) I had to set the stage for those coming behind me.”
Parrish on his emotions after finding out he was going into the ROH:
“It means the world to me. In fact, this is a dream. I had a dream as a little boy of becoming the greatest player in the world. I had big dreams as a kid. I can recall sitting on the couch with my mother, telling here that I was gonna play football and I was gonna take care of her. I put in a lot of work. A lot of time, and a lot of fear of not producing and not being the best of what I was capable of being. To have been chosen means the world to me.”
Lapham on what it means to him:
“It's shocking. It really is. It's mind-boggling. As a young kid, you hope you might be able to make it to the National Football League. And then if you can make it there, you hope you can survive the final cut and play. And then if you can play for a number of year's that's the ultimate dream. And then to be able to be allowed to broadcast National Football League games for the Cincinnati Bengals is like, 'Are you kidding me?'
"That's another dream. Two separate dreams. To be able to fulfill them and live them both with the Cincinnati Bengals organization is just incredible. It's something I never, ever expected or anticipated. I hoped. I certainly hoped for it. I can't thank the Bengals organization enough. The Brown family, the Blackburn family have been nothing but class to work with. It's a dream come true. It's a life's dream, no doubt. To join such an outstanding group of men in the Ring of Honor and to realize it's gonna be there forever, it's a lifetime honor. I just want to pinch myself and make sure it's a fact, make sure it's real.”
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