{{Short description|Canadian soccer player (born 1950)}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Buzz Parsons | image = | caption = | fullname = Leslie Parsons<ref name="LATimes1980">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/170514386/|title=NASL Playoffs: The Second Season|date=August 26, 1980|work=The Los Angeles Times|page=149|quote=Vancouver's Leslie Parsons attempts to take ball from Joey Clarke|access-date=22 February 2017}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|12|16|df=y}} | birth_place = Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada | height = {{height|m=1.75}}<ref name = "CSA"/> | position = Midfielder | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Huddersfield Town | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Ipswich Town | collegeyears1 = 1975 | college1 = Simon Fraser | collegecaps1 = 20 |collegegoals1 = 21 | years1 = 1969–1970 | clubs1 = Vancouver Spartans | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 1971 | clubs2 = Vancouver Eintracht | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 1976–1982 | clubs3 = Vancouver Whitecaps | caps3 = 106 | goals3 = 17 | years4 = 1979–1980 | clubs4 = → L.A. Aztecs (indoor) | caps4 = 6 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 1980–1981 | clubs5 = → Vancouver Whitecaps (indoor) | caps5 = 8 | goals5 = 2 | years6 = 1985 | clubs6 = Victoria Riptides | caps6 = | goals6 = | totalcaps = 120 | totalgoals = 19 | nationalyears1 = 1972–1980 | nationalteam1 = Canada | nationalcaps1 = 22 | nationalgoals1 = 6 | manageryears1 = | managerclubs1 = Vancouver 86ers }} '''Les''' "'''Buzz'''" '''Parsons''' (born 16 December 1950) is a Canadian former soccer player who played at both professional and international levels as a midfielder. During his career in North America with the Vancouver Whitecaps, Parsons was affectionately known as "White Shoes", owing to the white boots he wore. After retiring as a player, Parsons later became a professional soccer coach.

==Career==

===Club career=== Parsons played youth football in England with Huddersfield Town and Ipswich Town, but he never made a senior league appearance for either team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/huddersfield/huddersfield.html|title=HUDDERSFIELD TOWN : 1946/47 – 2007/08|access-date=6 August 2009|publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/ipswich/ipswich.html|title=IPSWICH TOWN : 1946/47 – 2007/08|access-date=6 August 2009|publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database}}</ref> Parsons returned to Canada to play with the Vancouver Spartans and Vancouver Eintracht, winning the Challenge Cup with Eintracht in 1971. He also played with Vancouver Italia (Columbus FC) in 1972–1974. He spent one year (1975) studying and playing at Simon Fraser University, netting 21 goals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://athletics.sfu.ca/sports/2015/5/25/MSOC_0525150633|title=SFU ALL-TIME RECORDS - CAREER SCORING|access-date=16 April 2021|publisher=sfu.ca}}</ref>

Parsons later played in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps between 1976 and 1982, scoring 17 goals in 106 appearances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/P/Parsons.Buzz.htm|title=NASL career stats|access-date=6 August 2009|publisher=NASL Jerseys}}</ref> Parsons started at right back in the 1979 NASL championship game that the Whitecaps won 2–1. Parsons also played indoor soccer during this period for the Los Angeles Aztecs and the Whitecaps.

===International career=== Between 1972 and 1980, Parsons represented Canada on 22 occasions, scoring 6 goals in the process. He also represented Canada at the 1971 Pan American Games.<ref name = "CSA">{{cite web|url=https://canadasoccer.com/index.php?pid=2480&t=profile&|title=Profile|access-date=17 April 2020|publisher=Canada Soccer Association}}</ref>

===International goals=== :''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first.'' {| class="wikitable" ! # !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1 || 20 August 1972|| King George V Park, St. John's, Canada || {{fb|USA}} || 1–0 || 3–2 || 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 2 || 10 November 1973|| Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti || {{fb|HAI|1964}} || 1–4 || 1–5 || Friendly match |- | 3 || 10 October 1976|| Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada || {{fb|MEX}} || 1–0 || 1–0 || 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 4 || 12 October 1977|| Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico || {{fb|SUR}} || 1–0 || 2–1 || 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 5 || 16 October 1977|| Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico || {{fb|GUA}} || 1–0 || 2–1 || 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |- | 6 || 22 October 1977|| Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico || {{fb|MEX}} || 1–0 || 1–3 || 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |}

===Coaching career=== Parsons was manager of the Vancouver 86ers and then the Victoria Vistas of the Canadian Soccer League.

==Personal life== Parsons was born in Burnaby, British Columbia.

In 2003 Parsons was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca/OSN.nsf/c1bfa845a2dec3bf85256b0b005d4116/8f95c9b99663b4dc85256c7d0055af30?OpenDocument |title=Les "Buzz" Parsons |access-date=6 August 2009 |publisher=Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809201811/http://www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca/OSN.nsf/c1bfa845a2dec3bf85256b0b005d4116/8f95c9b99663b4dc85256c7d0055af30?OpenDocument |archivedate=9 August 2009 }}</ref>

Parsons now lives in Victoria, B.C., playing Over 50's soccer at Gorge Soccer Association

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Canada Soccer player|id=2480}} / Canada Soccer Hall of Fame

{{1977 NASL All-Stars}} {{Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Buzz}} Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian expatriate men's soccer players Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England Category:Canada men's international soccer players Category:Canada Soccer Hall of Fame inductees Category:Pan American Games soccer players for Canada Category:Footballers at the 1971 Pan American Games Category:Canadian men's soccer players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Los Angeles Aztecs players Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Category:Simon Fraser Red Leafs men's soccer players Category:Simon Fraser University alumni Category:Soccer players from Burnaby Category:ICSF Columbus FC players Category:Vancouver Spartans players Category:Eintracht Vancouver players Category:Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984) players Category:Victoria Riptides players Category:Western Soccer Alliance players Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen