James Daniel Parker (December 3, 1975 – August 19, 2023) was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the hammer throw.[1] He represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He won the silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games.
Life and career
James D. Parker was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on December 3, 1975.[2] Parker grew up in Layton, Utah.[3] At Layton's Northridge High School, Parker was a track and football athlete. He won the state championship in shot put his junior and senior year, and the discus as a senior. He graduated in 1994.[4]
Utah State
For university, he joined the Utah State University athletics team where he would earn All-American track honors nine times. At Utah State, Parker competed in hammer throw and discus.[5] In 2001, Parker graduated from Utah State in with degrees in exercise science and human biology.[3]
Air Force and Olympics
After university, Parker would go on to join the U.S. Air Force, serving as first lieutenant and continuing his athletic career as part of the World Class Athlete Program.[6][7] In 2004, he set a personal best in the hammer throw with a throw of 79.20 meters (259 feet 10 inches), qualifying him for the Olympics.[8][5] That year, he was named Air Force Athlete of the Year.[9] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Parker caught a stomach ailment and failed to make it out of qualifying.[10]
Parker would later rise to become deputy commander of the 380th Expeditionary Services Squadron.[9] He was unsuccessful in his attempt to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.[11]
In 2012, Parker was inducted into the Utah State University Athletics Hall of Fame. At the time, he was the most decorated athlete in Utah State's history.[5]
