‘I have a mission.’ NFL star is giving back to Beaufort this weekend

When Ron Parker first moved to Kansas City, he couldn’t move around town without being recognized as an NFL player.

But the autograph seekers thought they had nabbed Jamaal Charles — the Chiefs’ Pro Bowl running back — and not the then little-known defensive back from Beaufort. Both had dreadlocks, Parker explained.

Much has changed since those early days. Parker signed a five-year, $30 million contract to stay with the Chiefs in 2015.

He has become a model of consistency known for his playmaking in the Chiefs’ secondary. And from Kansas City barbecue joints to professional baseball locker rooms, fans have taken notice.

But in the Beaufort High School gym where Parker spoke to about 150 Beaufort area children Friday morning, those who know the former local football star see past his newfound celebrity.

“He ain’t changed a bit,” Eagles football coach Mark Clifford said.

That was part of Parker’s message to open his third-annual football camp. He told those in the crowded bleachers to work harder and arrive earlier than everyone else to set themselves apart.

It’s a work ethic that carried the St. Helena Island native through a bumpy path from junior college in Kansas to Division II Newberry and short-lived free agent deals in multiple NFL cities before securing the stabilizing contract.

“To this day, I have a mission,” Parker said. “Just be different and attack everything hard.”

Now he’s recognized by the correct name wherever he goes. A patron at Jack Stack Barbecue greeted Parker during a recent visit with his girlfriend. And during a trip to watch MLB’s Kansas City Royals and visit the locker room, Parker tried to introduce himself to the baseball players and was surprised to learn they already knew him.

Parker’s cousin, Everette Parker, opened a motivational speech at the camp Friday by reenacting Parker’s breakout moment in the NFL. He rolled along the floor, drawing laughter from the young crowd, while demonstrating how Ron Parker blitzed Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and forced and recovered a fumble during a Chiefs’ win in 2013.

“You get one opportunity to make a play,” said Everette Parker, who recently retired after 20 years in the Navy and formed a nonprofit called Surviving Chance Encounters. “Are you ready?”

Ron Parker, 29, said he recognized how some kids in Beaufort can get side-tracked by crime and violence. He said there are other former football players from Beaufort who had the talent to play NFL football but didn’t give themselves the chance.

In addition to the football camps, Parker hopes to one day spearhead a new community center in northern Beaufort County to serve as a gathering place for kids who might have nowhere else to congregate.

“Just coming home and seeing this and being around this, knowing what these kids are trying to get to — in my mind, I’m like ‘That was me,’” Parker said. “It feels like yesterday.”

On Friday, he passed out gift bags, including socks adorned with Parker in uniform.

The camp continues Saturday morning at Beaufort Middle School for actual football drills. Some wore cleats Friday, thinking they would be on the field.

Bambi Smith brought her 10-year-old son, KevinUp, and nephews Terry Williams and Tyler Butler from Bluffton to see Parker.

“This is one morning I didn’t have to wake them up,” she said. “They love football.”

This story was originally published July 7, 2017 at 2:15 PM with the headline "‘I have a mission.’ NFL star is giving back to Beaufort this weekend."