Sirr Parker, who was raised in South Central Los Angeles and graduated with honors from Alain Leroy Locke High School, was abandoned by his father when he was three, his mother, who struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse, and raised by his grandparents, and later Parker and his infant brother Donyea stayed with his aunt and uncle.
Parker became the Los Angeles Times player of the year, first-team all-state and a second-team All-American pick by USA Today by leading the Los Angeles area in rushing (4,000 yards) and scoring (50 touchdowns) as a senior at Locke High School while playing for a team that went 0–9 that season.
Although injuries cut down on his playing time, he finished his college career by leading the Aggies to the 1998 Big 12 Conference championship his senior year.
He scored the winning touchdown on a 32-yard slant from Branndon Stewart on third-and-17 in the second overtime, sealing a 36–33 victory and earning the Aggies an invitation to the Sugar Bowl.
Although Parker was not chosen in the 1999 NFL draft, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers.
Because of both his speed and the team's lack of depth in the secondary, the Bengals switched Parker to cornerback, a position he had not played since high school.
Parker was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Desperados to play receiver and defensive back in December 2002.