Background
Parker, Eugene E. was born on February 24, 1956 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States.
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Eugene E. Parker
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Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Parker graduated from Purdue University in 1978, and graduated from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1982. When Parker was an undergrad student at Purdue University he studied Business Management.
Career
He has been named by Black Enterprise Magazines top 50 influential blacks in sports while also being known for the past two decades as owning one of the premier sports agencies in the country. Parker was also ranked 45 in the Sports Illustrated list of the top 101 most influential minorities in sports. Parker, at his company Maximum Sports Management, now oversees 5 agents in his current practice.
He was also a four-year starter on the Purdue men’s basketball team where he scored 1,430 career points (currently #21 on the career list).
After his college career, Parker was drafted in the late rounds of the National Basketball Association draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He turned down the National Basketball Association ranks to take a graduate assist coaching job at Valparaiso University while he earned a law degree.
Parker then went on to found his company, Maximum Sports Management. His early signings included NFL All-Pro defensive players Rod Woodson and Deion Sanders.
In 1995, Parker negotiated Deion Sanders" lucrative seven year, $35 million contract, with a $13 million signing bonus, which made Sanders the highest paid defensive player in the NFL at that time.
In 2004 he negotiated a six-year deal worth $60 million for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, making Larry the highest paid rookie in the NFL ever. Many of Parker"s rookie clients have been holdouts in the NFL. Most recently, the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Ndamukong Suh held out for 4 days before signing a 5-year deal worth a possible $68 Million with $40 Million guaranteed. Holdouts are nothing new, but this holdout was under more scrutiny due to the nature of the high pick.
The prior season in 2009, San Francisco WR, Michael Crabtree, also held out for a third of his rookie season.
Parker contended that Crabtree deserved more money than where he ended up being drafted. Some of Parker"s clients include:
Hines Ward
Richard Seymour
Walter Jones
Emmitt Smith
Larry Fitzgerald
Derrick Brooks
Rod Woodson
Aeneas Williams
Devin Hester
Cedric Benson
Curtis Martin
Laveranues Coles
Jason Peters
Greg Jennings
Felix Jones
Tashard Choice
Steven Jackson
Tyson Jackson
Michael Crabtree
Ndamukong Suh
Jairus Byrd.
Achievements
Membership
Following his collegiate career, Parker was selected for the 1978 United States National Team while as a member of Athletes in Action. The United States Team finished the competition with a record of 3-4, good for 5th place.
Education
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1982