Steel Horse

A rookie last season, Parker was inactive for nine of the Steelers' 18 games, including both playoff games. He carried only 13 times in eight other games. But in the regular-season finale, with Coach Bill Cowher resting most of his starters for the playoffs, the former Dark Horse from Clinton announced his arrival with 102 yards in 19 carries against the Buffalo Bills.

And when injuries sidelined Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis in training camp last summer, Parker moved into the starting lineup and never left.

Bringing a "home run threat every time" to the usually more power-oriented Steelers, as teammate and receiver Hines Ward put it, the fast-moving Parker ran for 161 yards in the opener against the Tennessee Titans and 111 in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.

By regular season's end last month, he had turned in three more 100-yard efforts and rushed for 1,202 yards, making him the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in Steeler history and the first since Bettis in 2001.

He carried 255 times, only 30 fewer than he had in four seasons at North Carolina, and averaged 4.7 yards -- fifth in the NFL for backs with at least 200 carries, behind Shaun Alexander of the Seahawks, Tiki Barber of the New York Giants and Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs, the league's top three rushers, and Warrick Dunn of the Atlanta Falcons.

He had nine runs of 20 yards or longer, Cowher telling reporters that Parker's speed brought to the Steelers, "the one thing that we never had."

Said Rooney: "He's a real good kid. It's been nice to watch."

Sunday, he and Clinton will watch Parker in the Super Bowl.

"I don't have the words just yet," Parker's father said. "Is this really happening? I never thought that that little bad boy would be playing in the Super Bowl. He was just a little picky fellow, you know what I'm saying?

"It's a great feeling. I'm good and proud of him."

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Fast company

Pittsburgh second-year running back Willie Parker finished the regular season with 1,202 yards rushing, and his 4.7 yards per rush ranked him fifth in the NFL for those with a minimum of 250 carries:

*--* PLAYER, TEAM YPC ATT YDS Tiki Barber, N.Y. Giants 5.2 357 1,860 Larry Johnson, Kansas City 5.2 336 1,750 Shaun Alexander, Seattle 5.1 370 1,880 Warrick Dunn, Atlanta 5.1 280 1,416 Willie Parker, Pittsburgh 4.7 255 1,202 Clinton Portis, Washington 4.3 352 1,516 L. Tomlinson, San Diego 4.3 339 1,462 Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati 4.3 337 1,458 Thomas Jones, Chicago 4.3 314 1,335 E. James, Indianapolis 4.2 360 1,506