SI

Dave Parker, Hall of Fame Star of 1970s Pirates, Dies at 74

The Pittsburgh fan favorite was named the National League MVP in 1978.

Patrick Andres

Dave Parker looks on during a ceremony honoring the 1979 Pirates in 2024.
Dave Parker looks on during a ceremony honoring the 1979 Pirates in 2024. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Dave Parker, a Hall of Fame outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates and five other squads over a 19-year career, died Saturday, the Pirates announced. He was 74.

"We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Dave Parker," Pittsburgh said in a social media statement. "The Cobra was part of the inaugural Pirates Hall of Fame class in 2022, and will be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown next month."

Parker played 11 years for Pittsburgh from 1973 to '83, and was one of the team's stars when it was the class of baseball. In 1978, he was named the National League's MVP after combining a .334/.394/.585 slashline with 30 home runs and 117 RBIs. A year later, he was an All-Star and Gold Glover on the immortal "We Are Family" Pirates—the franchise's last championship team to date.

Parker was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December via voting from the Classic Baseball Era Committee alongside fellow slugger Dick Allen.

In the 1980s, Parker was ensnared in a wide-ranging drug scandal surrounding a Pittsburgh-area cocaine ring that tarnished his public image. He remained productive into his later years, making three All-Star teams in his 30s with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

Parker was a native of Grenada, Miss., though he was raised in Cincinnati and continued to live in the area into recent years.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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