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Where Are They Now? - Doug Parker
9/29/2019 8:40:00 PM | Football
Florida Atlantic University athletics is proud to present "Where are they Now." Each week, graduate student Wajih Al Baroudi will feature former FAU student-athletes. If you have a former FAU student-athlete you would like featured, please email the name and contact information to Katrina McCormack at kmccormi@fau.edu.
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Former Florida Atlantic University running back Doug Parker though
t he had the talent to play in the NFL; all he wanted was an opportunity to prove it.
But it never came.
Parker tore his ACL while playing for the National Arena League's Orlando Predators in 2009, which ended his football career, but also gave him a new perspective on life.
"I realized that God gave me a gift of why I didn't make it to the NFL: to help others in my community, mainly the young men that I know in unfortunate situations," said Parker, who played for FAU from 2001-04.
Parker put those words into action by establishing Delray Beach Sports in 2013, a non-profit organization seeking to empower youth through athletics and academic support. The organization hosts events like spelling bees, chess contests and math competitions – many of which award scholarships to winners – to guide the youth of Delray Beach, Florida to a brighter future.
And that future isn't limited to the playing field.
Parker took his mentees to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game a few seasons ago and gave them worksheets to fill out. Their instructions were simple yet powerful: list all the jobs at the stadium – except the players'.
"You could still be a part of this game even if you don't make it [as a player]," Parker said. "But you could do it another way, in a different entity. You could be a photographer. You could be a physical therapist. You could be a coach.
"You could be anything."
Raised by a "strict but cool" mother, Parker knew those options were available to him if football didn't work out. But he believes that's uncommon in his community. Parker says there's a need for Delray Beach kids to hear they're smart, or that they have potential outside of athletics.
And he wants to fill that void.
Parker picks kids up and takes them to libraries, school, gyms and the like, no matter their neighborhood. Building those relationships takes time and consistency. But the payoff, Parker says, is as gratifying as signing an NFL contract.
"That's why I didn't go to the NFL," Parker said. "Because maybe if I went to the NFL, I wouldn't be an example in the community like I am."
To help fund his non-profit, Parker started Trust the Process, a mobile detailing company servicing Palm Beach County, in 2017. He currently has contracts with FAU, FAU police and the city of Delray Beach, among others.
Parker got the inspiration from both of his grandfathers, who ran small businesses in Delray Beach during his childhood years: Richard Parker, who owned the restaurant Parker's Kitchen, and Raleigh Harris, a pillar of the city's construction industry.
They taught him to work hard and never make excuses. And Howard Schnellenberger, Parker's coach at FAU, reinforced those values.
"That's what my grandfathers taught me, that's what Schnellenberger taught me: commitment," Parker said. "When it was time to do an extra lap or a 12-minute run, you can't fold. So, you have to go, you have to keep going; you have to drive, you have to be committed."
Parker is now committed to starting a small all-boys private middle school, around 25 students per grade. He believes those years are "pivotal" to kids' identity development and wants to ensure they're on the right track before high school.
The school's curriculum will be centered around financial literacy, career training and life-skills development, which Parker says aren't dinner table topics in his community.
He wants to change that. And by doing so, Parker believes the impact would be two-fold: his students will become equipped to navigate through the "savageness" of the world, then they pass that knowledge on to their friends and family.
"The work that I do affects everybody at the end of the day," Parker said.
Parker chose FAU over schools like Florida, West Virginia and Indiana to stay in Palm Beach County, close to family. He built his businesses there, too. Because while Parker knows he could be successful elsewhere, it won't feel the same away from home.
"I love to put my city on my back any time I can," Parker said.
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Former Florida Atlantic University running back Doug Parker though
t he had the talent to play in the NFL; all he wanted was an opportunity to prove it.But it never came.
Parker tore his ACL while playing for the National Arena League's Orlando Predators in 2009, which ended his football career, but also gave him a new perspective on life.
"I realized that God gave me a gift of why I didn't make it to the NFL: to help others in my community, mainly the young men that I know in unfortunate situations," said Parker, who played for FAU from 2001-04.
Parker put those words into action by establishing Delray Beach Sports in 2013, a non-profit organization seeking to empower youth through athletics and academic support. The organization hosts events like spelling bees, chess contests and math competitions – many of which award scholarships to winners – to guide the youth of Delray Beach, Florida to a brighter future.
And that future isn't limited to the playing field.
Parker took his mentees to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game a few seasons ago and gave them worksheets to fill out. Their instructions were simple yet powerful: list all the jobs at the stadium – except the players'.
"You could still be a part of this game even if you don't make it [as a player]," Parker said. "But you could do it another way, in a different entity. You could be a photographer. You could be a physical therapist. You could be a coach.
"You could be anything."
Raised by a "strict but cool" mother, Parker knew those options were available to him if football didn't work out. But he believes that's uncommon in his community. Parker says there's a need for Delray Beach kids to hear they're smart, or that they have potential outside of athletics.
And he wants to fill that void.
Parker picks kids up and takes them to libraries, school, gyms and the like, no matter their neighborhood. Building those relationships takes time and consistency. But the payoff, Parker says, is as gratifying as signing an NFL contract.
"That's why I didn't go to the NFL," Parker said. "Because maybe if I went to the NFL, I wouldn't be an example in the community like I am."
To help fund his non-profit, Parker started Trust the Process, a mobile detailing company servicing Palm Beach County, in 2017. He currently has contracts with FAU, FAU police and the city of Delray Beach, among others.
Parker got the inspiration from both of his grandfathers, who ran small businesses in Delray Beach during his childhood years: Richard Parker, who owned the restaurant Parker's Kitchen, and Raleigh Harris, a pillar of the city's construction industry.
They taught him to work hard and never make excuses. And Howard Schnellenberger, Parker's coach at FAU, reinforced those values.
"That's what my grandfathers taught me, that's what Schnellenberger taught me: commitment," Parker said. "When it was time to do an extra lap or a 12-minute run, you can't fold. So, you have to go, you have to keep going; you have to drive, you have to be committed."
Parker is now committed to starting a small all-boys private middle school, around 25 students per grade. He believes those years are "pivotal" to kids' identity development and wants to ensure they're on the right track before high school.
The school's curriculum will be centered around financial literacy, career training and life-skills development, which Parker says aren't dinner table topics in his community.
He wants to change that. And by doing so, Parker believes the impact would be two-fold: his students will become equipped to navigate through the "savageness" of the world, then they pass that knowledge on to their friends and family.
"The work that I do affects everybody at the end of the day," Parker said.
Parker chose FAU over schools like Florida, West Virginia and Indiana to stay in Palm Beach County, close to family. He built his businesses there, too. Because while Parker knows he could be successful elsewhere, it won't feel the same away from home.
"I love to put my city on my back any time I can," Parker said.
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