Rodney Parker (born July 18, 1953) is an American former gridiron football wide receiver who played six seasons professionally. He played college football at Tennessee State and was a sixth round NFL draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in . After being released by them in training camp, Parker signed in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, with whom he would play until being released in . In the 1980 season, Parker returned to the National Football League (NFL) by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. After two seasons with them, Parker played two years in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Philadelphia Stars and San Antonio Gunslingers.
Early life and education
Parker was born on July 18, 1953, in Mobile, Alabama, where he grew up. He attended Francis T. Nicholls High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is the only attendee of that school ever to play in the National Football League (NFL). In his school, he was a "star" participant in track and field.
When Parker was 16 years old, he worked as an usher at Super Bowl IV. He worked at the 40-yard line behind the Kansas City Chiefs bench.
In 1974, Parker enrolled at Tennessee State University. He made the varsity team for his sophomore season, 1975. As a junior in 1976, Parker recorded 25 receptions for 552 yards and scored five touchdowns. His 552 receiving yards led the team.
An article on Parker in The Tennessean shortly before his senior season began said the following: Shucks, Rodney Parker, Tennessee State University's senior flanker, isn't so hard to stop. He was stopped twice yesterday on his way to football practice. Once by a pro scout from Los Angeles, then by a scout from Seattle. Once he gets in uniform, and on the football field, and folks in different-colored uniforms try to stop him, though, it's an entirely different matter. He isn't so easily halted then. And it's that quality that is filling up page after page in the scouts' notebooks: 'good speed,' they scribble, 'great balance...good hands.' Parker recorded 16 catches for 271 yards and one touchdown as a senior in nine games.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
After graduating from Tennessee State, Parker was selected in the sixth round (152nd overall) of the 1978 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The Atlanta Constitution reported that he "may return kicks." He signed his rookie contract on June 9. On August 1, in training camp, Parker suffered a strained knee that the Falcons announced would sideline him for several weeks. Parker was placed on waivers on August 15.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Parker was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an American import in early September to replace Ron Jamerson. In his CFL debut, a 29–31 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Parker had a "big night," recording six catches for 108 yards. In his second appearance, Parker "banged up" his knee against the BC Lions on a punt return and strained several ligaments. As a result, he missed several games and was placed on the injured list. He eventually recovered and appeared in three more games, ending his season with five appearances, 15 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns as Saskatchewan finished with a record of 4–11–1.
On March 30, 1979, Parker was re-signed by the Roughriders. Sportswriter Ruddy MacLean of The Leader-Post called him "one of the fastest runners in the CFL." Parker appeared in five games, recording 10 catches for 232 yards before being placed on waivers in August. He finished his CFL career with 25 receptions for 581 yards and two touchdowns in ten games.
After being released by Saskatchewan, at the time the worst team in professional football, Parker gave up on advancing his sports career. "At first, it hurt," he said. "I was really down. The idea that I'd played my last football game took some getting used to. When you have to go home and face friends and tell them you got cut by the worst team in Canada and that you're going to be doing something else rather than-playing football..." Believing his career was over, Parker returned to school and completed courses to become a deputy sheriff.