He played college football at the University of Kentucky, where he twice received consensus All-American honors and won two consecutive bowl games.

Parilli played college football at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and was a quarterback for the Wildcats under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.

At age 30, Parilli was picked up by the Oakland Raiders of the fledgling American Football League on August 17, 1960,[1] and threw for just over 1,000 yards that season.

In 1964, throwing primarily to Gino Cappelletti, Parilli amassed nearly 3,500 yards passing with 31 touchdowns; the latter was a Patriots record until Tom Brady broke it in 2007.

Despite the organized crime connection, journalist Howie Carr stated that there was never any inside information passed between Parilli and Ventola.

He is one of only 20 players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence, and is a member of the University of Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.

[4] In 1974, Parilli became the head coach of the New York Stars of the World Football League; after going bankrupt, the franchise moved to Charlotte mid-season.

Parilli would later coach in the Arena Football League, helming the New England Steamrollers, Denver Dynamite, Charlotte Rage, Las Vegas Sting, Anaheim Piranhas and Florida Bobcats.