However, Parkin's stature in the history of Australian rules football is based mainly on his achievements as a coach.
Building on his experience as a player and educator, Parkin won four premierships (one at Hawthorn, three at Carlton) and is considered one of the most influential coaches of the modern era.
Parkin attended Hawthorn West Primary School, the birthplace of his passion for Australian rules football.
Parkin was a tough back-pocket player who played 211 games for the Hawthorn Football Club (and kicked 21 goals) in a career spanning from 1961 to 1974.
Parkin then replaced Peter Jones as senior coach of Carlton Football Club, at the end of the 1980 season.
[18] Parkin was sacked as Carlton Football Club senior coach at the end of the 1985 season and was replaced by Robert Walls in a jointly announced agreement with Fitzroy Football Club to swap senior coaches for 1986.
During this second stint, Parkin guided Carlton to win the 1995 premiership against Geelong by a margin of 61 points.
[31][32] In 2003, he wrote a controversial article in the Herald-Sun labeling six Hawthorn players as Mummy's Boys because of their lightweight frames.
Three of those he listed, namely Michael Osborne, Rick Ladson and Chance Bateman went on to play in Hawthorn's 2008 Premiership.