NJCAA Region 16

Bio

Growing up in Chicago, Sonny Parker was named to All-City, All-State and All-Public League while playing for Farragut High School. Recruited by Mineral Area College's legendary Coach Bob Sechrest, Sonny blossomed at the NJCAA level for the Cardinals. He was twice named to the NJCAA All-American team while he also garnered honors as Midwest Junior College Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region 16 Player of the year in 1973-74. Parker is the all-time leading scorer for Mineral Area College and was named the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

After his tenure at Mineral Area College, Parker continued his collegiate playing career at Texas A & M University. During his career at Texas A&M, Parker was a star, leading the Aggies to two Southwest Conference titles. He was named 1^st Team All-Southwest Conference during the two years and the team reached the NCAA Tournament his junior year. Parker was the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year in 1975 and the team MVP. He was also inducted into the Texas A & M Athletics Hall of Fame.

Parker was drafted 17^th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1976. His best season was in 1978-1979 when he hit .519 field goal percentage and averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game with 144 steals and 33 blocks. He had a six year career in the NBA, with averages of 9.9 points per game, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Parker and his wife have seven children. Their youngest son, Jabari, just signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Duke University. Parker started the Sonny Parker Youth Foundation in Chicago to help inner-city students.