Career
In the 1970s he competed for the University of California, Los Angeles for several years. In 1977 he ran on the 1977 IAAF Athletics World Cup, anchoring the 4 × 400 m relay team to what appeared to be a runaway victory when he collapsed on the track with a severely pulled hamstring 150m from the finish. This unfortunate injury denied the United States of America a seemingly certain victory in the team competition, the victory instead going to East Germany.
Parks did not compete again that season, but did return in 1978 to again capture the national title at 400 m.
Any hope of Olympic success in 1980 was denied by the United States of America boycott of those games, but in any event Parks"s form meant he only reached the semi-final stage at the Olympic trials. Prior to University of California, Los Angeles he was a graduate of Washington Union High School, then Fresno City College.
In the publicity for the event, Parks is stated as having received the honour of being, in 1990, inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Parks has also been elected into the California Community College Track and Field Hall of Fame
Parks was ranked among the best in the United States of America and the world in the 400 m/440 y events over the period 1973 to 1978, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.
Parks was a very successful competitor in the United States National Championships between 1973 and 1978:.