Juqua Thomas
Encyclopedia
Juqua Demail Parker is an American football
defensive end
for the Philadelphia Eagles
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans
as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football
at Oklahoma State
.
where he posted 29 sacks in two seasons and was named Southwestern Junior College Conference Player of the Year. He then transferred to Oklahoma State, earning third team All-Big 12 Conference
honors and playing in the East-West Shrine Game
his senior year after posting 57 tackles, five PBUs, and a team-leading 21 TFLs & 9.5 sacks.
as a rookie free agent in 2001 and spent four years as a backup.
in 2005
to serve a similar role, and he recorded six sacks in 2006 following an injury to starter Jevon Kearse
. In 2007
, Parker signed a long-term contract to remain with the team. Midway through the 2007 season he was elevated to the starting lineup
to replace an ineffective Kearse and was the team's starting left defensive end
. He made a career-high eight sacks in 2008
. Parker lost his starting job to 2010 first-round draft pick Brandon Graham
midway through the 2010 preseason, however, in the first three games of the season, Parker, in his limited playing time, recorded four sacks.
in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania
, which is near the Eagles' training camp at Lehigh University
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
. Lower Saucon Township police said Parker was a passenger in a vehicle, driven by Eagles' teammate Todd Herremans
, which was stopped for a traffic violation, and he had a small amount of marijuana in his possession. Parker, of Medford, New Jersey, was arraigned in the Central Booking Center and released from Northampton County
Prison under $1,000 bail.
The charges were dropped after the district attorney ruled that the arresting officer had no right to search the car.
American football
American 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...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The 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...
(NFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
.
College career
Parker originally attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M CollegeNortheastern Oklahoma A&M College
Located in the small former mining town of Miami, Oklahoma, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, commonly referred to as NEO, is a two-year community college with programs in Agriculture, Livestock Judging, Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant, Theatre, Social Science, and a variety of other...
where he posted 29 sacks in two seasons and was named Southwestern Junior College Conference Player of the Year. He then transferred to Oklahoma State, earning third team All-Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
honors and playing in the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
his senior year after posting 57 tackles, five PBUs, and a team-leading 21 TFLs & 9.5 sacks.
Tennessee Titans
Parker signed with the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
as a rookie free agent in 2001 and spent four years as a backup.
Philadelphia Eagles
Parker was signed by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
to serve a similar role, and he recorded six sacks in 2006 following an injury to starter Jevon Kearse
Jevon Kearse
Jevon Kearse , nicknamed "The Freak," is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League for eleven seasons during the late 1990s and 2000s...
. In 2007
2007 NFL season
The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League.Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30....
, Parker signed a long-term contract to remain with the team. Midway through the 2007 season he was elevated to the starting lineup
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
to replace an ineffective Kearse and was the team's starting left defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
. He made a career-high eight sacks in 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. Parker lost his starting job to 2010 first-round draft pick Brandon Graham
Brandon Graham (American football)
Brandon Lee Graham is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection in the draft and the first from the Big Ten Conference...
midway through the 2010 preseason, however, in the first three games of the season, Parker, in his limited playing time, recorded four sacks.
Name change
On March 12, 2008, it was revealed that Juqua's last name had legally been changed from Thomas to Parker at the request of his father, who died in 2005.Arrest
On August 5, 2009, Parker was taken into custody during a traffic stop around 12:30 a.m. on N. Mountain Drive at Route 378Pennsylvania Route 378
Pennsylvania Route 378 is a north-to-south road in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Bethlehem and the portion north of the Lehigh River is a freeway. The highway was once Interstate 378 but when Interstate 78 was rerouted from U.S...
in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Saucon Township is a township in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Lower Saucon Township is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state, and geographically in the Saucon Valley....
, which is near the Eagles' training camp at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
. Lower Saucon Township police said Parker was a passenger in a vehicle, driven by Eagles' teammate Todd Herremans
Todd Herremans
Not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, Herremans worked out for more than 24 NFL teams prior to the 2005 NFL Draft. He was projected to be drafted in the fifth- or sixth-round by NFLDraftScout.com. Herremans was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the draft...
, which was stopped for a traffic violation, and he had a small amount of marijuana in his possession. Parker, of Medford, New Jersey, was arraigned in the Central Booking Center and released from Northampton County
Northampton County, Pennsylvania
As of the 2010 census, the county was 86.3% White, 5.0% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 2.2% were two or more races, and 3.8% were some other race. 10.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the census of...
Prison under $1,000 bail.
The charges were dropped after the district attorney ruled that the arresting officer had no right to search the car.