More: Paying tribute to Eugene Parker
I count it as one of my life's blessings to have known Eugene Parker, and I am deeply saddened to learn of his passing from kidney cancer last night. It only seems like yesterday when I first met Parker on a visit to our family home when I was in high school, and how his quiet tone resonated a level of class and dignity that still leaves an impression on me some 40 years later.
Parker's passsing caught me by surprise as it did two of his former teammates that have known him very well over the years. Not at all out of character, Parker didn't burden many friends with news of his illness. He just quietly went on with his life.
Parker played basketball at Purdue from 1975-78, then went on to become one of the most successful, and respected, figures in the sports representation business. He was 60 years old.
"I received a text from (Parker's work associate and former teammate Roosevelt Barnes) last night and was shocked," said Dick Satterfield, a former walk-on who completed his eligibility at Purdue during Parker's freshman season of 1975. "The text read, 'We lost Gene last night at 10:23 p.m.' and I thought it first it was Gene Keady. I was so sad to hear it was Eugene."
There was the difference, as Satterfield always referred to Parker with his full first name, while to Barnes and others it was simply "Gene."
"I may have been a senior when he was a freshman at Purdue, but I looked up to Eugene," said Satterfield, who has remained close to the program since his playing days. "Despite all the success he enjoyed in the business world and in his personal life, it was never about Eugene. He was a guy you wanted to emulate because of two things: How successful he was, and how selfless he was. This is such a sad day."
Parker was a multi-talented person who had a love for singing and music. He actually sang his version of Herb Alpert's classic "This Guy's In Love With You" at the team banquet as a sophomore in 1976 that brought the house down. He was smooth, but quiet. He was so proud of his large family, including two sons that walked on Purdue's highest profile teams: Austin (football) and Geno (basketball).
As a player, Parker was a four-year starter on some of the most exciting, yet exasperating teams in Boilermaker basketball annals. As a left-hander with a high-arching shot from deep, Parker would have benefitted from the three-point line that didn't come into play until several years after his eligibility was exhausted. He was a second team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore in 1976 and scored 1,430 points in his career, which ranks him 22nd all-time at Purdue.
Satterfield's connection began in the fall of 1974, when Parker first enrolled. Satterfield was the "old white guy" on Purdue's famous "Soul Patrol" group put together during Parker's freshman year. (See story below.) At the start of the season, Parker, Walter Jordan, Satterfield, Wayne Walls and Michael White came off the bench in unison to inject energy on the court for Fred Schaus' 1974-75 squad. The quintet became huge fan favorites in Mackey Arena.
For classmate and fellow Fort Wayne native Jordan, the news this morning was devastating.
"Wow, I haven't stopped crying all morning," said Jordan, who lives in Georgia and has maintained close contact with Parker. "He had it all. A beautiful family, a wonderful business and the respect of everyone he ever came in contact with.
"Gene did two things that you never see anymore: He remained committed through college to his high school girlfriend, June, while in college, married her and raised an incredible family.
"But people shouldn't forget Gene was a great basketball player at Purdue. He could shoot it and do all the things that a guy with an NBA future could do. But he did the rarest of things, he turned down a chance to go to the NBA (after being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs) and decided to go to law school.
"I mean, what kind of guy does that? Gene Parker that's who. He was an agent to some great athletes and personalities (Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson to name a few). But he never forgot who he was. Never.
"That is what made him a beautiful person, and that is why I am so blessed to have known him all these years, and why I am so sad for today's news."
Satterfield concurs. He'd shared meals with Parker and watched him bow his head and say a quick prayer.
"Eugene didn't do that to show people he was a good Christian man, which he was," Satterfield said. "It was just Eugene being grateful. He was just grateful for all the blessings in his life, and despite being a high-profile person in a high-profile business, his ability to be genuinely humble and grateful for where he came from and what he had made him a remarkable, remarkable person."
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