Chris Parker gets why people want him to use the Empire State Challenge all-star football game as a way to show colleges exactly what they passed up on.
The Poly Prep quarterback, who will be a preferred walk on as an athlete at Rutgers next season, was passed over by a number of schools. Many initially said they were interested, and then chose to go in different directions — or let his 5-foot-6 frame blind them to his superior athleticism. But Parker doesn’t hold grudges.
“At first I took it personally,” he said. “Then I looked at it from a business aspect. Everyone was telling me they needed this person, and I wasn’t at the top of their depth chart and they just pushed me aside, I guess.”
Rutgers fell in love with Parker, who is hopeful for scholarship money down the road. The school made him feel wanted since he played at its camp last June. He was an All-Brooklyn first team selection by this paper, and Blue Devils headman Dino Mangiero called him the best player he’s ever coached in Bay Ridge.
“If anyone wants to say ‘you’re playing because this team overlooked you,’ I already know that,” Parker said. “I don’t let it get to me. I just play my game. It’s just fun to me.”
His motivation isn’t to say “I told you so,” but to make the most of his last high school contest — a charity game benefiting the Boomer Esiason Foundation for cystic fibrosis research. Parker remembers watching his brother Bruce don a New York City jersey representing Mount St. Michael three years ago.
“I was right there on that railing screaming his name,” Parker said.
He wasn’t at quarterback for New York City during its 34–27 loss to Long Island at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium on June 23. That didn’t stop him from running all over the field as a slot receiver. Parker, who was named the city’s most valuable player, put all his skills on display in the second half. He finished with six catches for 119 yards, including grabs of 46 and 25 that set up city touchdowns. Parker also compiled 88 returns yards and completed a 22-yard pass.
Parker has proven people wrong his whole career. The four-year starter led Poly to two of its best seasons in recent years. The Blue Devils went 15–2 combined the last two years. Last year, he ran for 1,867 yards and 21 touchdowns, and added two interceptions at cornerback.
“You don’t realize how special he is until you are on the field with him,” said Poly and New York City teammate Brenden Femiano. “Up in the stands, he looks kind of small — but on the field, he is the biggest guy out there.”
New York City and Lincoln coach Shawn O’Connor described Parker as “electric,” and agrees that he was unfairly a victim of his size when it came to recruiting. You can’t measure his heart and what he can do with a football in his hands.
“Coach Dino unlocked the safety box and let me see some film on the kid and I was mouth-open. I was like, ‘Wow this kid can do a lot of things.’ ”
Rutgers was smart enough to give Parker a chance because of that. He could leave other schools wishing they had done the same.
