Kyle Parker was a 2-sport Clemson star. How a return to school shaped his life
Editor’s note: This story is part of The State’s series “SC Sports: Where are the stars now?“
Fall semester was in session at Clemson and Kyle Parker settled into his seat. Before long, he noticed a classmate give him a confused look.
It was 2017, six years after he last was in school, and Parker was getting a different kind of recognition. He was no longer the Tigers’ two-sport star.
“I could tell it was (my classmate’s) first day of college. ... He was looking at me like man, this guy looks old. He asked me, ‘Are you a freshman?’” Parker recalled, laughing. “I was like, ‘No man, I’m not.’ He was like, ‘Do you live in the dorms?’ I said, ‘No I don’t.’ I think that was one of those instances where I was like, ‘All right, what am I doing here?’”
Parker was back at Clemson to finish his degree after leaving school early to begin his professional baseball career in 2011. His return to Clemson was much different than his first stint at the school, but it was one that he enjoyed and was necessary to begin the next phase of his life.
After being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft and spending six seasons playing professional baseball — including 64 games over two seasons at the major league level — Parker returned to Clemson needing about 38 credit hours to graduate with a degree in communications.
His classes were split about 50-50 between online and in the classroom, and Parker graduated from Clemson in August 2018. He is thankful for the way Clemson handled the process after he made the decision to return to school.
“I have a lot of buddies who I played professional ball with who finished up and wanted to go back and finish their education and it was a pretty difficult process for them at other places,” Parker said. “Being able to go back to Clemson and just having everything so accessible and people just welcoming, I’ll always be grateful for that chance.”
Upon graduation Parker began looking for a job, and he landed one working in private aviation. He is currently living in his home state of Florida working for FBO Jets. He is engaged and set to get married in April.
“I charter aircrafts. I knew I wanted to have the freedom to be able to work from wherever I wanted to in the country. I ended up, through some references and some people I knew, being offered a position with the company I work for now,” Parker explained. “So that’s how I got into it. Shortly after I graduated I started working in this profession, and then that’s what I’ve been doing to make a living ever since.”
While Parker is now just a fan of sports and no longer involved with a team, he had some unique roles during his return to school at Clemson.
In addition to taking classes in pursuit of his degree, Parker worked for WatchESPN and called Clemson’s home baseball games. He also worked on Dabo Swinney’s staff as a student assistant coach. He enjoyed both experiences, particularly after spending six seasons playing professional baseball.
“It kind of brought back the passion and allowed me to enjoy being around sports. I think professional sports is a lot different than collegiate, just with the business side of it. Every single day you walk in and one of your buddies is probably getting released or let go or you are. I think it can create a lot of bitterness and take a lot of the enjoyment away,” Parker said. “So with me, I just liked being around the pureness of the program. It was just more enjoyable to be a little bit a part of the baseball team, just by broadcasting, and really involved with the football team. It gave me a good feeling.”
Even though Parker enjoyed the experience working on the football staff, he decided that coaching sports for a living was not something he was interested in after seeing the hours Swinney and Clemson’s coaches dedicate to leading a top college program.
“I think there’s a big sacrifice that a lot of coaches make when they have a family and they’re committing all of their time,” Parker said. “So that’s a sacrifice. My dad played in the NFL and he’s a football coach, so I kind of have seen the coaching lifestyle. I could just make the decision that it wasn’t for me.”
Still, working for Swinney, after initially being recruited to Clemson by the Tigers’ head coach, is something Parker will appreciate for the rest of his life.”
“I think the world of coach Swinney. He has a great relationship with pretty much every former player,” Parker said. “He goes above and beyond to make sure you have chances and the ability to get an education, have that opportunity. That would be what stands out most to me.”
Parker is still the only Division I athlete to hit 20 home runs and throw 20 touchdown passes in the same academic year, and he follows Swinney’s program and all the history the Tigers are making from afar.
Clemson has won five consecutive ACC titles, has reached the College Football Playoff five consecutive years and has won two national titles in the past four years.
“I think it’s amazing. I think it is absolutely well deserved. It’s awesome,” Parker said. “I don’t think it could happen for a better person, just how genuine coach Swinney is and the opportunities he created for me. He recruited me from Jacksonville when he was the wide receivers coach. I’ve known him forever. Just happy everything has turned out the way it has.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
