Parker named athletic director at CBU

Dr. Micah Parker has been named the Director of Athletics at California Baptist University, Kent Dacus, CBU Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services, announced Wednesday.
                                                 
Parker inherits a program that won a pair of NAIA National Championships in 2009, finished an all-time best fifth in the race for the Learfield Sports-NAIA Director’s Cup and will likely have eight programs earn NAIA Scholar Team recognition when the teams are announced later in the week. He begins Aug. 3.
 
“After a yearlong search, CBU is thrilled with the hiring of Dr. Micah Parker as its next athletic director,” said Dacus. “We feel that Micah is a rising star in athletic administration. He is someone who is deeply committed to his faith and has shown strong integrity and character in his professional history. While he has a strong passion for intercollegiate athletics, he fully understands the bigger picture of university life and operating within the entire university structure.”
 
Parker returns to the athletic arena after a 17-month hiatus during which time he served as the headmaster at the prestigious Lutheran South Academy in Houston, Texas. Prior to his time at Lutheran South Academy, Parker spent more than 17 years as a collegiate basketball coach.
 
Most recently, Parker was the top assistant women’s basketball coach at NCAA Division I Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, from 2003-07. He served as the program’s recruiting coordinator in his last year after being in charge of player development and serving as camp director his first three years. He helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship and a subsequent NCAA Tournament berth as well as a pair of Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) appearances.
 
A 1991 graduate of NAIA-member Concordia University in Seward, Neb., Parker spent eight seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater immediately after graduation. During that time, Concordia went 178-75, won three conference titles and made six straight NAIA Division II National Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 1992.
 
In 1998, Parker moved to the women’s side when he was named head coach of the women’s program at Concordia. After a 14-14 campaign in his first season, Parker led the Bulldogs 66 wins and into the national rankings during the next three seasons. In his final season of 2002, Concordia was 28-6, ranked as high as No. 6 and advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16. The next season, Parker served as the director of operations for the University of Nebraska women’s basketball program.
 
During his four years at Concordia, Parker’s teams led the NAIA in team GPA three consecutive seasons with a 3.73 and twice led all collegiate levels, according to the WBCA.
 
Parker is also a Christian motivational speaker, speaking at national youth gatherings, faith-based businesses, school assemblies, church events and banquets and Fellowship of Christian Athletes groups. He also served as an assistant professor during his time at Concordia.
 
Parker earned his master’s in education from the University of Nebraska in 1994 and then later earned his doctorate of philosophy with an emphasis in educational leadership from Nebraska in 1999. Parker and his wife, Amy, have three children.
 
“It will be a privilege to serve as the Athletic Director at CBU,” said Parker. “I appreciate Dr. Ellis and Kent Dacus giving me the opportunity to lead this outstanding athletic program. CBU is a great academic school, with a Christ-centered mission, that is blessed with so many talented people in the athletic department. I was very impressed with the support and direction that the school has for athletics and look forward to serving God in this position.” 
 

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