Being an active track and field athlete he attended South Plains junior college in Levelland, Texas.

He then moved into a new career as a financial advisor where he over the coming years worked with such companies as Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, UBS and Wells Fargo.

First, on January 20, 1989, when Barnes set a new indoor world record at the Sunkist Invitational in Los Angeles with a put of 22.66 metres (74.3 ft).

In the fall of 1993 Parker was hired as the assistant coach for the UTEP Miners in El Paso.

He lost only to Brent Noon, beating the upcoming world champion John Godina by more than 50 centimetres (20 in).

[11] At the same championships Parker also coached Greek hammer thrower Alexandros Papadimitriou to second place.