Fort Wayne Native, Pro Sports Agent Dies
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA Fort Wayne native and former basketball standout at Purdue University who later became a big name professional sports agent has died. California-based Relativity Football President Eugene Parker represented NFL stars including Deion Sanders, fellow Fort Wayne native and former Purdue star Rod Woodson and Emmitt Smith. He was 60.
After graduating from Purdue, Parker was drafted by the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. He eventually made his way to Valparaiso University where he earned a law degree. His pro sports representation career began when he advised Purdue star Roosevelt Barnes on a contract with the Detroit Lions in the early-1980s. Barnes has since become a partner at Parker’s agency.
The company’s website describes Parker’s business focus:
Protecting his clients’ best interests is always his number-one priority. Eugene feels that there is more to being a good agent than his ability to negotiate top-notch contracts. Helping a client adjust to his new life as a professional athlete is also extremely important. He shows clients how they can use their athletic talents as a vehicle to gain an economic advantage in society.
Other stars Parker represented over the years include:
Curtis Martin, Warrick Dunn and Marshawn Lynch. Current NFL players on his company’s roster include Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Pierre-Paul and Indianapolis Colts snapper Matt Overton.
Parker is a graduate of Concordia Lutheran High School in Fort Wayne and an inductee into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.