Professional Football Player. For fifteen seasons (1952 to 1953 and 1956 to 1969), he played at the quarterback position in the National and American Football Leagues with the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Boston Patriots and New York Jets. Born Vito Parilli, he made his initial mark on the football field at Rochester High School. He enrolled at the University of Kentucky, where he played collegiate football under the iconic coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and achieved All-American status. During this period, he experienced a Sugar Bowl title in 1951, as he produced a passing touchdown against a top nationally-ranked Oklahoma resulting in the win. He received MVP honors for the contest. The next season, he helped lead Kentucky to a victory in the Cotton Bowl over TCU. For his efforts, he received Outstanding Offensive Player recognition. He served with the United States Air Force during the Korean War, prior to beginning his professional football career. Selected by the Green Bay Packers as the 4th overall pick during the 1st round of the 1952 NFL Draft, he spent his first two seasons splitting quarterbacking duties with Tobin Rote. A. After a two-year stint in the Canadian Football League (1954 and 1955) with the Ottawa Rough Riders, he returned to the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (1956), sharing playing time with Tommy O'Connell and George Ratterman. A second stint with the Packers (1957 to 1958) was followed with a second trip to the CFL, again with Ottawa (1959). In 1960, he joined the Oakland Raiders of the newly-formed AFL and had the distinction of being a part of their inaugural roster. His most productive period was with the Boston Patriots (1961 to 1967) and in 1962, he became their primary quarterback. In 1963, he led Boston to an appearance in the AFL Title Game. Individually, he established himself as a top quarterback in the league and in 1964, he produced a league-leading 3,465 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns. Additionally, he received all star honors three-times and 1st team All-Pro status once. He concluded his playing career with two seasons as a New York Jet and served as a backup to Joe Namath during the Jets' run at the world championship in 1968. In 189 career regular season NFL and AFL games, he compiled 22,681 passing yards, with 178 touchdowns. After retiring as a player, he remained in the sport and served as quarterback coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Later, he served as a head coach in both the World Football and Arena Football Leagues. Additionally, he served as quarterbacks coach with the Denver Broncos. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and was named to the Boston Patriots' 1960 All-Decade Team, as well as an inductee into their Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.