Cordelius "Cord" Parks is an
American footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
cornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
and
wide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the
Minnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
of the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was picked up on waivers by the Seattle Seahawks on June 16, 2010. He was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at
NortheasternThe Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and...
.
Early years
Parks played four years of
footballHigh school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at
Stone Mountain High SchoolStone Mountain High School is a college preparatory and public high school located in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It is one of the oldest high schools in the DeKalb County School System. The current principal is Carolyn D. Williams....
in
Stone Mountain, GeorgiaStone Mountain is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,802 at the 2010 census. It is an outer suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.-Geography:...
, where he was the team captain as a junior and senior. He earned Second-team All-County honors as a senior. In addition to being a
running backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
and
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, he also ran track for three years, finishing third in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the county championship.
College career
Parks, in 2008, started all 12 games at cornerback for
NortheasternThe Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and...
and made 54 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and defensed four passes. In 2007, he started in 11 games at cornerback and was third on the team in tackles (63), first in interceptions (2) and defelcted four passes. He also returned 20 kickoffs for a 21.0 yard average. As a sophomore in 2006, he totaled 40 tackles with four deflections and had a 22.0-yard average on 21 kickoff returns. In 2005, he played in 11 games, making 14 tackles.
Parks competed on the track team in 2005, 2006, and 2007 in the 100 meters, 110 hurdles, and the 4x100 relay, placing high in the CAA Championships.
St. Louis Rams
Parks was signed by the
St. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2009. He was promoted to the active roster after spending most of the season on the practice squad on December 26.
External links