Sirr Parker
Encyclopedia
Sirr Eluan Parker is a former Quarterback
for Texas A&M University
who went on to play professionally in the National Football League
, the Canadian Football League
, and the Arena Football League.
, was abandoned by his mother and raised by his grandparents, and later went and stayed with his aunt and uncle. As a child, Parker and his infant brother Donyea lived with their aunt, while their mother struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse. Parker also became the Los Angeles Times
player of the year, 1st team all-state and a second-team All-American pick by USA Today
by leading the Los Angeles area in rushing (1,929 yards) and scoring (30 touchdowns) as a senior at Locke despite playing for a team that went 0-9 that season. He was also the homecoming king and an honor roll
student with a 3.9 grade point average
.
).
Although injuries cut down on his playing time, he finished his college career in style by leading the Aggies to the 1998 Big 12 Conference
championship his senior year. He helped A&M rally to defeat #2 ranked Kansas State
in the championship game, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion late in regulation to tie the score. He scored the winning touchdown on a now famous 32-yard slant from Branndon Stewart
on third-and-17 in the second overtime, sealing a 36-33 victory and earning the Aggies an invitation to the Sugar Bowl
.
On the year, he rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown on 69 carries while catching eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and returning nine kicks for 200 yards. His best overall season was his junior year, when he rushed for 800 yards and a team leading 10 touchdowns on 149 carries (for an impressive 5.4 yards per carry) on his way to becoming a Doak Walker Award
nominee. He also caught 18 passes for 194 yards and returned five kickoffs, including a 78-yard touchdown return… As a sophomore, he led the Aggies in rushing with 704 yards and two touchdowns on 149 carries while taking the only kickoff he returned 100 yards for a touchdown. As a true freshman, he finished third on the team with 312 yards on 71 carries while catching four passes for 77 yards. Overall as an Aggie, Parker rushed for 2,042 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
He is now currently playing.
, he signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers
. The Chargers released Parker in August 1999, he was then signed by the Carolina Panthers
. However he was unable to join the active roster because of a lingering hamstring injury that he sustained at Texas A&M, Parker was placed on the inactive list before being waived once again.
prior to the 2000 season
, Parker was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals
. Because of both his speed and the team's lack of depth in the secondary, the Bengals switched Parker to cornerback
, a position he had not played since high school. He spent most of the season on the practice squad. Although he was activated for the last three games of the season (seeing playing time in the final two), he did not record any offensive or defensive statistics. Upon his arrival at Cincinnati's mini-camp
in May, Parker was released from the team.
prior to the 2001 season, but was released before the start of the season. He signed as a free agent with the Calgary Stampeders
the following year. In his first preseason game he rushed for 66 yards on just three carries, but did not make their opening roster, and was once again released.
to play receiver and defensive back in December 2002. He was inactive for the first nine games of the season before being placed on injured reserve
in April 2003. He was activated with one game remaining in the season, but did not play in the season finale or in the playoffs. In January 2004, the Austin Wranglers
traded for Parker, but he did not see playing time for the team.
as his high school coach.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
who went on to play professionally in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, and the Arena Football League.
Youth and high school
Sirr Parker, raised in tough South Central Los AngelesSouth Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
, was abandoned by his mother and raised by his grandparents, and later went and stayed with his aunt and uncle. As a child, Parker and his infant brother Donyea lived with their aunt, while their mother struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse. Parker also became the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
player of the year, 1st team all-state and a second-team All-American pick by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
by leading the Los Angeles area in rushing (1,929 yards) and scoring (30 touchdowns) as a senior at Locke despite playing for a team that went 0-9 that season. He was also the homecoming king and an honor roll
Honors student
An honors student is a person recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their course work.Honors students may refer to# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honor rolls, varying from school to school, and...
student with a 3.9 grade point average
Grade (education)
Grades are standardized measurements of varying levels of comprehension within a subject area. Grades can be assigned in letters , as a range , as a number out of a possible total , as descriptors , in percentages, or, as is common in some post-secondary...
.
College
Parker was a running back at Texas A&M, where he was known for his blazing speed and playmaking ability. He ran a 4.24 40-yard dash which is still a school record and held the school vertical leap record of 40.5 inches (later broken by Terrence MurphyTerrence Murphy
Terrence Cardene Murphy is a retired American football wide receiver and return specialist.-High school:Murphy attended Chapel Hill High School in Tyler, Texas where he had a core GPA of 3.6...
).
Although injuries cut down on his playing time, he finished his college career in style by leading the Aggies to the 1998 Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
championship his senior year. He helped A&M rally to defeat #2 ranked Kansas State
Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.Kansas State participates in...
in the championship game, scoring a touchdown and two-point conversion late in regulation to tie the score. He scored the winning touchdown on a now famous 32-yard slant from Branndon Stewart
Branndon Stewart
Branndon Stewart is a former American football player. He played quarterback for the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M University.- High school career :...
on third-and-17 in the second overtime, sealing a 36-33 victory and earning the Aggies an invitation to the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
.
On the year, he rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown on 69 carries while catching eight passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and returning nine kicks for 200 yards. His best overall season was his junior year, when he rushed for 800 yards and a team leading 10 touchdowns on 149 carries (for an impressive 5.4 yards per carry) on his way to becoming a Doak Walker Award
Doak Walker Award
The Doak Walker Award, first awarded in 1990, honors the United States's top college football running back. It is named after the Southern Methodist and Detroit Lions football player Doak Walker...
nominee. He also caught 18 passes for 194 yards and returned five kickoffs, including a 78-yard touchdown return… As a sophomore, he led the Aggies in rushing with 704 yards and two touchdowns on 149 carries while taking the only kickoff he returned 100 yards for a touchdown. As a true freshman, he finished third on the team with 312 yards on 71 carries while catching four passes for 77 yards. Overall as an Aggie, Parker rushed for 2,042 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
He is now currently playing.
NFL
Although Parker was not chosen in the 1999 NFL Draft1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
, he signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Chargers released Parker in August 1999, he was then signed by the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. However he was unable to join the active roster because of a lingering hamstring injury that he sustained at Texas A&M, Parker was placed on the inactive list before being waived once again.
prior to the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Parker was picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. Because of both his speed and the team's lack of depth in the secondary, the Bengals switched Parker to cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
, a position he had not played since high school. He spent most of the season on the practice squad. Although he was activated for the last three games of the season (seeing playing time in the final two), he did not record any offensive or defensive statistics. Upon his arrival at Cincinnati's mini-camp
National Football League mini-camp
A mini-camp is a short camp held by National Football League teams usually in May of each year. The camp usually only lasts 3 days, but the length varies by a day or two depending on the head coach's preference. Mini-camps are geared toward getting the newly drafted rookies acclimated to the NFL...
in May, Parker was released from the team.
CFL
Parker was signed by the British Columbia LionsBritish Columbia Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
prior to the 2001 season, but was released before the start of the season. He signed as a free agent with the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
the following year. In his first preseason game he rushed for 66 yards on just three carries, but did not make their opening roster, and was once again released.
AFL
Parker was signed as a free agent by the Dallas DesperadosDallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
to play receiver and defensive back in December 2002. He was inactive for the first nine games of the season before being placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
in April 2003. He was activated with one game remaining in the season, but did not play in the season finale or in the playoffs. In January 2004, the Austin Wranglers
Austin Wranglers
The Austin Wranglers were an arena football team based in Austin, Texas. They played four seasons in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2007 and spent one season in AF2, the AFL's developmental league, in 2008. They made playoff appearances in the AFL in 2006 and in AF2 in 2008...
traded for Parker, but he did not see playing time for the team.
Semi-pro
Parker played the 2005 and 2006 seasons for the Inglewood Blackhawks, a professional developmental football (minor league) team in the La Belle Community Football League. In 2006 Parker was named League Offensive MVP and Team MVP when he had 95 receptions and 16 receiving touchdowns, both league records. His 1,943 total yards gained that season is second all-time in Minor League Football history.They Call Me Sirr
In 2001 Showtime released They Call Me Sirr, a TV movie about Parker's life starring Kente Scott as Sirr Parker and Michael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.- Early life :...
as his high school coach.