Parker's East Bay roots go long way to getting players to stay home
By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER
BERKELEY — Kevin Parker can talk to Cal's football players, especially those from Oakland and Hayward, about life experiences. He can narrow the subject down to his own life. Parker relates best to inner-city kids, for he was just like them once, seeking guidance and direction. Therefore, he is a boon to Cal as a recruiting assistant, a key reason why Marshawn Lynch and other homegrown products say they chose Berkeley. When Parker speaks, they listen. He talks to them about choices, about life's promises and its pitfalls, about two depressing moments. "I tried to kill myself," he said. Parker had dyslexia coming out of Skyline High School in Oakland. He was deficient in reading and writing when he enrolled at Oregon on a football scholarship. Then it all came apart one day.
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