Memories shared by Mike Gerken...

I just found your site and am delighted to see this tribute to one of the finest men I've ever had the privilege of knowing. To my knowledge, Coach Parker only coached at Caprock (Amarillo, TX) for one season, my sophomore year, 1966. All of the testimonials here describe the young coach we had then. I believe it was only his second year of coaching. As great as he was as a coach, his excellence as an honors World History teacher was even greater. That same intensity he brought to the field, he brought to the classroom. His tests were nearly all essay and he read every word, interested more in our interpretation of events rather than memorization of dates. I had the pleasure of having a pizza with him there in AZ on a business trip shortly before my retirement and sharing some memories of the "early days". It probably speaks to his intensity and quest for excellence that one of my fondest memories of our time together was during spring practice, 1967, when by sheer dumb luck I was able to execute a pull and block that he was excited about. Still one of my favorite memories from 14 years of organized football. Keep up the good work and continue to share and honor his example in forming the kind of men we so desperately need as leaders today.

No worries-

Mike Gerken