This week on Inside the Headset, we speak with Dr. Alvin Parker, Head Coach for Virginia Union University. We discuss his commitment to education, how he prepared himself to eventually become a head coach, and what he learned during his first season leading a program. Dr. Parker got his start in coaching at Virginia Union in 1999 after he finished his playing time there. He served as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at VUU until 2003. In 2004, Coach Parker was hired as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Elizabeth City State University (2004-2015), and he eventually joined the staff at Saint Augustine University in 2016, also as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator (2016-2017). Dr. Parker was named the head coach at VUU in 2018. He is a published author (Stronger Than Pride), and he is the CEO of Home Team Foundation, Inc. [0:31] Start of interview [1:14] Transition from player to coach [2:40] Advice on coaching former teammates [4:01] Pursuing a doctorate while coaching [6:29] The journey to becoming a head coach [8:56] Wearing multiple hats [11:23] The defensive side of the ball [14:35] Take aways as a first-year head coach [17:01] Impact of Joe Taylor, VUU's Athletic Director [18:57] Discussing off the field pursuits with players You can follow Dr. Parker on Twitter. Have any questions, comments, or ideas for the show? Send us an email at podcast@afca.com.