Oregon Football Practice Report: Oct. 9
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
Venue: Autzen Stadium
Format: Walk-through
The other day, it was possible to be walking around on campus and see, sitting on a bench eating a sandwich outside Oregon Hall like any other student, arguably the most prolific wide receiver in UO football history.
That would be speedster Samie Parker, the elite sprinter who left the Ducks after the 2003 season as the program’s record-holder in receptions for a single game (16 in the 2003 Sun Bowl), a single season (77 his senior year) and for a career (178). The latter two marks were later tied by Jeff Maehl in 2010.
Having spent a decade pursuing a pro career, which began with four years with the Kansas City Chiefs and ended earlier this year in the Arena league, Parker is back enrolled at the university this fall. He’s taking 13 credits to complete the degree in Fine Arts that he was one quarter shy of completing back in 2003.
Parker said a couple of professors have recognized his name. But mostly, he’s as anonymous as his fellow undergraduates. “I was way before their time,” Parker says with a laugh. “They were probably in the fourth grade when I was playing.”
Thursday morning, Parker spent some time around a group that still recognizes him. Parker attended Oregon’s walk-through in Autzen Stadium, was introduced to the team afterwards by defensive coordinator Don Pellum, and was given the honor of breaking the team huddle to conclude the workout.
Part of Parker’s goal in returning to school is to someday break the huddle with a team of his own. He’s begun a transition into coaching over the last few years, and wants an undergraduate degree to bolster his resume as he applies for positions.
Parker was a three-time all-American in track who remains the UO record-holder indoors over 60 meters (6.62 seconds) and is second all-time in the 100 meters (10.18). He did some coaching in track a few years ago at a high school in Los Angeles, helped his younger brother Tray Sessions earn a practice squad job as a receiver with the Oakland Raiders in 2012 and was a volunteer assistant at MidAmerica Nazarene in Kansas last fall.
The head coach last season at MidAmerica Nazarene, an NAIA school, was former Chiefs quarterback Jonathan Quinn. Parker’s relationships with the staff as a former Chiefs player helped him secure a position working with MidAmerica Nazarene last fall, and the team ran an offense similar to that which Parker played in for Kansas City from 2004-07.
Parker said he could call up video of himself to help coach up his players. “They could see I’m not just telling them, I was doing the same things against the coverages they were seeing,” Parker said. “They were like, ‘Now we can’t say we can’t do it, because he’s on film doing it.’ So I was able to relate to those guys and help those guys with some things.”
Earlier last year, Parker attended a regional NFL Combine, and while he still possessed world-class speed, it didn’t lead to a contract. “Being able to run 4.3 and still put up numbers that would be top five, top 10 in their draft class, and to not get a call, those days were behind me,” Parker said. “I had to move on.” He played this past spring in the Arena league, in Los Angeles, then hung up his cleats for good.
Mentoring seems to be in Parker’s nature. Not only does he hope to become a coach, but his interest in Fine Arts skews toward teaching. One of his current classes recently spent a day with people recovering from strokes and other brain trauma; Parker provided an outlet for their artistic expression, drawing shapes and employing colors at the direction of the patients. “Being able to make them smile was a great experience,” Parker said.
He also hopes to mentor at-risk youth who show artistic ability. “People who can have some talent, but due to some bad decisions haven’t been able to explore that talent,” Parker said.
For now, though, he’s just an undergraduate at the university, 10 years removed from the glory of his Oregon playing career. And Parker is just fine with that. “I don’t want anybody to treat me different than they’d treat anybody else,” Parker said. “I’m a regular person coming here to learn. I don’t want anybody to give me anything, because that’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to work for what I want.”
Observations: Parker spent a few minutes chatting with regular practice observer Bob Newland, whose single-season receiving record of 1,123 yards in 1970 stood until Josh Huff finally broke it last year. It was fun to listen to Parker and Newland talk about the differences between the two eras in which they played. ... Because this was a walk-through of the plays Oregon will run against UCLA on Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT, FOX), there are no highlights to offer. … Jake Pisarcik took some reps at center, with Doug Brenner at guard. Presumably they’ll battle next spring and fall to replace senior center Hroniss Grasu. … The staff is stressing hydration this week, with temperatures forecast to approach 90 degrees Saturday afternoon.
