Byron Wesley Parker (born March 3, 1981 in Madisonville, Kentucky) is a gridiron football cornerback for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Tulane.

Parker has also been a member of the Toronto Argonauts, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

[edit] College career

Parker initially enrolled in Tulane on a college basketball scholarship and played on their team from 2001 to 2003. It was also in 2003 that Parker won the NCAA slam dunk competition. His slam dunking abilities were showcased in a 2005 CFL game at Molson Stadium against the Montreal Alouettes. Lined up as a wide receiver, Parker caught a 42-yard touchdown reception and celebrated by dunking the ball over the cross bar uprights. He also has a 43" vertical leap.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Jacksonville Jaguars

On April 26, 2004, Parker was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was waived by the team following training camp on August 1.

[edit] First stint with Argonauts

After being cut by the Jaguars, during training camp, Parker signed with the Argonauts on January 24, 2005, but played in only six games.

[edit] Dallas Cowboys

In 2006, Parker signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL but was cut by the team on July 31.

[edit] Second stint with Argonauts

Parker re-joined the Argonauts a week after being released by Dallas. Upon his return, he became their starting cornerback. On October 14, 2006, Parker broke a CFL record for most interception return yardage in a single season with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown in Edmonton. He ended the season with 348 interception return yards, surpassing Eric Carter's 2003 record of 300 yards. Parker was selected as a CFL All-Star in 2006 and 2007.

[edit] Philadelphia Eagles

On January 27, 2009, Parker was reported to have signed a reserve/future contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.^[1][2] The signing was officially confirmed by the Eagles on February 3, 2009.^[3] He was waived on August 14, thereby creating a roster spot for the signing of quarterback Michael Vick.^[4]

[edit] Third stint with Argonauts

After his release from the Eagles, Parker returned to Toronto as the Argonauts deferred his contract when he signed with Philadelphia. The Eagles had him on a weight gain program and he bulked from his 2008 CFL weight of 193 to 227 and he found he had to re-adjust to the Canadian game; reducing his weight to 210 by the time he reported to practice on August 20, 2009, but still finding himself tired out by the longer, wider field. Parker reported that the Eagles offered him another opportunity to return on August 20 but he refused, feeling more comfortable with the Argonauts.^[5][6][7][8]

[edit] Edmonton Eskimos

Parker was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos on September 28.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Byron Parker on Twitter
• Toronto Argonauts bio
• Philadelphia Eagles bio
• Tulane Green Wave basketball bio
• Tulane Green Wave football bio