Baylor’s Ryan Parker (15) chases McCallie School’s Shawn McColley (18) after he picked up a fumble turning over possession during their game at the Blue Tornado’s home field on Oct. 3, 2014.Ryan Parker is a four-sport athlete and has medaled at Tennessee state wrestling tournaments and track meets.
He’s also participates in lacrosse, yet football is the sport where he’s known as a player and not just as a player but as a throwback, the old-school type that plays for the physicality of the game.
“I love contact. That’s my favorite part of practice and games,” Baylor’s junior linebacker said. “I was telling a friend the other day that a football field is really the one place you can go and just run at somebody and hit them as hard as you can and it’s legal.”
Yet he was uncertain whether it was a compliment when he heard himself described as a throwback.
“I had been told I’m old-school and a throwback linebacker, but I honestly didn’t know what it meant,” Parker admitted.