Charlie Parker, a former assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, will get the University of Findlay’s Distinguished Alumni Award during a
event in Findlay, Ohio on Saturday.
Parker had an amazing career at Findlay, where he earned degrees in Sociology, Health, and Physical Education in 1972. Parker also worn a lot of hats during his time there. Parker was also an All-American track performer at Findlay and an honorable mention All-American basketball player.
“They approached me a few months back about accepting a nomination for the Distinguished Alumni Award, which is significant for that university as there weren’t many African Americans who were honored as distinguished alumni,” Parker told Mavs.com. “It’s a lifetime achievement award for the things you stood for in the community, the lessons others have learned from you, and your accomplishments.”
From 1996 until 2006, Parker served as an assistant coach with the Mavericks under Jim Cleamons, Don Nelson, and Avery Johnson. He collaborated closely with guards Steve Nash, Jason Terry, and Nick Van Exel, among others. In addition, he was the summer league coach for the Mavericks in 2004 and 2005. He was also a member of the coaching staffs for the NBA All-Star games in 2002 and 2006.
Furthermore, Parker served as Eduardo Najera’s assistant coach for the Texas Legends in 2012.
Parker assisted the Mavs in planning pre-game opponent walkthroughs and game plan presentations.
Don Nelson used to have a lot of trust in Parker while he was a member of the Mavericks, asking him to provide scouting reports and discuss the team’s upcoming opponent. During the scouting report, he would sometimes assign me practically every team to present themselves, and the other coaches would then discuss our defensive strategy with him.
“I had to watch three or four movies for practically every game.” Before, I would watch movies till three or four in the morning. I didn’t speak to anyone on the (Mavs’) plane. All I did was spend the entire night watching video games. People are unaware of how difficult this life is, but I truly wanted to put in that type of hard effort.
Parker attributed a portion of his diligence to his studies of former Mavs All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, who both joined the team on June 24, 1998, on draft day.
Parker remarked, “They were both such workaholics.” “They would arrive at the gym first, leave last, and return later in the evening. Up until eleven or twelve o’clock, Steve and Dirk would be training together in the gym. Don Nelson used to frequently remind them, “You guys need to go get some rest,” as I recall. You must return home.
“I recall working late at the America Airlines Center on evenings when the office looked out onto the practice court. The lights would be off, but then they would suddenly come on around eleven o’clock. When I glanced out onto the court, I saw Dirk and Nash honing their two-man skills about eleven or twelve at night. They were working on their shooting, ball handling, and passing. However, that’s the mindset required to be exceptional and achieve the kind of success those two ultimately achieved— MVP, and Dirk undoubtedly won a championship (in 2011).
Additionally, Parker reflected this mentality when competing at Findlay University, where he was a standout basketball player and high and intermediate hurdler.
“We had the amazing privilege of competing in the NAIA Sweet 16 in Kansas City, and I was an honorable mention All-American in basketball at Findlay. However, I had greater success in track than I did in basketball.
“I held all school records in the high hurdles and intermediate hurdles, where I was rated nationally.” I won all of my races in the intermediate hurdles one year. One of the rare athletes to compete in both the national track meet in Billings, Montana, as a hurdler and the National NAIA basketball championship in Kansas City occurred during my senior year. I made it to the championship round, which made me eligible to be called an All-American. As a result, I won both the basketball and the track titles that year.
One of the main reasons the University of Findlay chose to give Parker a Distinguished Alumni Award was because of his enormous achievement. In actuality, Parker’s first position after graduating from college was as Findlay’s assistant basketball coach and coach of track and cross country. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Findlay and was inducted into the University of Findlay’s Hall of Fame in 1989.
Parker remarked, “My family often chuckles at me when I tell them you have to call me Dr. Parker. Say more than just “Coach Parker.”
Parker led Wayne State to a 120-56 (68.2 percent) record in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) from 1982 to 1988. Parker holds a master’s degree from Bowling Green. He was the state of Michigan’s Coach of the Year in the 1983–84 season, Coach of the Year in the 1983–84 and 1986–87 seasons, and he guided the Tartars to three conference championships and three NCAA tournament participation. In 2001, he was inducted into the Wayne State Hall of Fame.
But Parker’s achievements didn’t end there. From 2016 to 22, he served as the Chinese Taipei Men’s National Team’s head coach.
Parker’s squad progressed to the World University Summer Games in 2017, the Asian Games Final Four in 2018, the World Cup Championship in 2021, and a Top 12 result in the Asian Cup in 2022. They also competed in the Asian-Pacific University Challenge Final Four in 2016.
Parker also served as the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star squad while he was the Gunma Crane Thunder’s head coach in the Japan Premier BJ League from 2014 to 2015. During that time, the team made its first-ever playoff appearance.
As Al Muharraq’s Premier League coach in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Parker also led his club to league and cup titles in the 2011–12 campaign. In the 87-year history of the club, that was the first time a team has won both of those trophies in the same year.
Naturally, the language barrier presented difficulties for Parker when coaching abroad.
He stated, “I learned how to say hello, thank you, and please. I didn’t know how to talk Chinese, Japanese, or Arabic.” “It was still a great challenge, even though I always had an interpreter with me and my app.” And I continued to speak with them. Despite my inability to speak their language, I
“Normally, the players would give their all and we would win games if they felt that I was sincere, if they felt that I really believed in them, trusted them, and was really on their side to win games.” Individuals are individuals, and reciprocating your regard for them will lead to reciprocating it.
Parker is from Columbus, Ohio. He was an assistant or head coach at the University of Southern California from 1988 to 1996. From 2007 to 2010, he was an assistant with the New Orleans Pelicans. He is grateful for all the opportunities the University of Findlay has provided for him.
“I was not permitted to attend many of the schools I desired to attend while growing up during the Civil Rights Era,” Parker remarked. “Findlay was an NAIA institution that gave black students more latitude to attend.
“Despite having a large white student body, Findlay was quite open about racial concerns. They made it possible for me to accomplish what I do best.
Parker has recently received the University of Findlay’s Distinguished Alumni Award, bringing it all full circle.
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