Alvindparker

Alvin Parker, PhD, will be entering his third season at the helm of the football program at Virginia Union University.

Parker hoists an 11-3 CIAA record after two seasons, and 15-5 overall. Parker guided the 2019 Panthers to their first ever national ranking in the AFCA poll after being ranked 25th during week seven of the season, this after earning a top 25 ranking from Lindy’s magazine in the pre-season poll.

In his second season directing the program, Parker started the season off leading the program to a victory over FCS/Big South opponent Hampton University 36-17.

The impact he has had on the program in such a short time has been considerable. Following the spring 2020 semester, 47 football student athletes obtained above a 3.0 GPA, all of this culminated with a football student athlete being named the universities co-valedictorian (Emmanuel Antwi).

Parker coached the 2019 CIAA Special Teams player of the year Jefferson Souza. Souza was also named the Don Hansen Super region two Special Teams player of the year. He developed Khalid Morris who lead the league in passing yards per game and was also tied for first in passing TD’s. 2019 also saw Charles Hall lead the nation (NCAA) in yards per catch (25.9). In June 2019, Parker was named the President of the CIAA Coaches association.

In his inaugural season as the head coach of the Panthers, Parker posted the best record of a first-year coach at VUU with an 8-2 overall mark. Recognized as one of the most gifted offensive football minds during his heralded career as an assistant coach, the Panthers had one of their most successful seasons in 2018.

Virginia Union ranked #1 in several categories in the CIAA including scoring offense (5th NCAA-45.2ppg), scoring defense (20th NCAA-18.9ppg) and rush offense (15 NCAA-253.3ypg). The Panthers also finished first in the league in sacks allowed, which was good for eighth in the NCAA.

They topped the nation in blocked kicks and set school records for rushing yards in a game (494 vs Lincoln) along with total and rushing touchdowns with twelve and nine in a single game, respectively.

A native of Washington, DC, and alumnus of Virginia Union, Parker was introduced as the 27th head coach in school history on December 18, 2017. During his introductory press conference, he spoke in depth about his love for his alma mater.

“There aren’t enough words to express what it means to be here, at a place I love, the one that embraced me as a young man and helped guide me into adulthood,” said Dr. Parker. “This is my dream job and I am excited to build on the legacy of this storied program.”

Dr. Parker’s has a philosophy of an aggressive tempo offense, and is also known widely for being a committed recruiter. He spent time on Lombardy Street as offensive coordinator and running backs coach for five successful seasons (1999-2003) which saw the Panthers win 38 games and advance to the three CIAA title games in four years (2000, 2001, 2003). During the first run as a coach at his alma mater, Parker called signals alongside his collegiate coach and mentor Willard Bailey a CIAA Hall of Famer and the conferences all-time winningest coach.

“I was always told that what Union makes, the world takes. We will embrace our position as the front porch of the University,” says Parker.

Over his previous stint on the Union staff, the Panthers won three CIAA Eastern Division crowns, captured the (2001) CIAA title and played in the 2001 Pioneer Bowl. Dr. Parker coached André Braxton, the CIAA’s all-time leading rusher and single season touchdown record holder, who would go on to be named the recipient of the (2000) Alonzo "Jake" Gaither Award as the top HBCU player in the nation, Braxton was an All-CIAA honoree all four years at VUU and named Player of the Year in 2000

“Dr. Parker won CIAA championships here at VUU as a player and later as an assistant coach under Willard Bailey,” said Virginia Union Athletic Director Joe Taylor. “He also won CIAA championships as the Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Elizabeth City State University. While experiencing success on the field, he has earned his undergraduate, Master’s and Ph.D. An accomplishment that few football coaches in America have obtained.”

Before his successes as a coach and an academician, Parker was a standout student-athlete during his playing days at VUU. He earned offensive MVP honors in 1996 and 1998, still ranks in the top ten amongst the Panther greats in single season touchdowns scored and is the Gold Bowl record holder for the longest TD — a 79-yard reception.

His dedication and success as one of the nation’s top assistants has not gone unnoticed as he was named a finalist for the AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Award every year from 2013-2016.

Dr. Parker is very familiar with the landscape of the CIAA as he enjoyed successful stints at Saint Augustine’s University and at Elizabeth City (NC) State University. He served as the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator at SAU for two season and helped orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in school history. The Falcons went from last in the CIAA in total offense (200.3 ypg) to putting up 335.5 yards per game good for 6th in the conference, improved their scoring average to 25.5ppg (18.1) and improved their overall touchdown output by +10 with 34 on the year.

Most significantly, the Falcons went from the bottom of the CIAA South, to a tie for first place in the division, just one game away from their first conference title appearance.

During his 13 years at ECSU, his offense stood out as one of the most prolific in all of NCAA Division II. Under his guidance the Vikings had 4 CIAA Title game appearances, 2 NCAA Playoff appearances, and 2 Pioneer bowl appearances. ECSU was crowned the 2012 Pioneer Bowl Champions with a 28-13 victory over SIAC power Tuskegee University in Columbus, Georgia.

During an eight-year span at ECSU (2006-2014), the Vikings were a whopping 48-15 in conference play and averaged over 30 points per game in CIAA contests. From 2010-2015 the Vikings were one of two teams to average over 30 points and over 400 yards per game.

The 2011 season was a historical one for ECSU as the Vikings were one of ten teams nationally who rushed for 36 touchdowns or more on the season. The Vikings potent rushing attack was led by tailback Daront’e McNeill who was named the 2011 CIAA Player of the Year

The previous year, Parker’s offense finished first in sacks against, second in pass completion percentage, total offense, and rushing offense. The "multiple-attack" offense averaged 194 YPG rushing on the way to setting the school record. The Viking's offense again took up more space in the record books when in his senior season McNeill, finished seventh in the nation in rushing became ECSU's single season rushing leader with 1321 yards. That year three ECSU runners averaged more than five yards per carry and a total of six offensive players received post-season honors.

In 2009, the Vikings tied for first in the CIAA Eastern Division. The offense finished 15th in the nation in scoring offense averaging 35 PPG. ECSU rushed for nearly 30 TD's which was amongst the highest in the Conference. Six members of the Viking's offense received post-season honors.

In 2008, ECSU won the CIAA Eastern Division title averaging 32 PPG. Senior quarterback Curtis Rich led the conference in all passing categories on his way to being named 2008 Offensive Player of the Year. Wide receiver Dexter Manley led the conference in all major receiving categories and was also listed in the top 5 nationally.

In 2007, the Vikings had a 2nd place finish in the CIAA Eastern Division.

The Vikings’ breakout season came in 2006 where ECSU’s offense finished second in scoring and in total offense in route to the CIAA championship game. Additionally, the Viking offense had a record-breaking year which saw 5 offensive players being recognized as First Team All-Conference. Sophomore Curtis Rich had one of the best seasons of any quarterback under Parker's guidance; he completed 52% of his passes and threw 21 touchdowns during the regular season. By the end of the season, Parker had taken an offensive line that featured 3 new starters and propelled it into one of the top units in the country. That offensive line featured All-American Ronnie McClary who blocked for the league's top reception leader Marvin Jackson, and the CIAA’s top scorer Chris Carter. Both Jackson and Carter ranked in the top for All-Receiving Categories.

Dr. Parker has coached 3 NFL players; Pete Hunter (Seattle Seahawks), James Atkins (San Francisco 49er's) and Jerome Leslie (Philadelphia Eagles) and nearly 150 All-Conference players, and 10 All-Americans

Parker received his M.S. degree in Sport Leadership/Athletic Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his B.S. degree in Mass Communication/Journalism from Virginia Union University. He obtained his Doctorate in Education/Sport Management from Northcentral University in 2017.

Off the field, Parker is an advocate for community development; in 2003 he started HOME TEAM Foundation INC, a non-profit organization geared towards helping underprivileged youth both athletically and academically. Parker is also the author of the book “Stronger than Pride”.

Parker and his wife LaToya reside in Richmond. He is the proud father of a son Alan and daughter Lani.

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