The San Saba High School Alumni Association (SSHSAA), as part of its ongoing effort to honor former students, will present its fifth Spring Sports Alumni Award at the Spring Sports Banquet to an alumni athlete who excelled in a spring sport. The SSHSAA is pleased to give this award this year to Carter Parks. The Spring Sports Banquet will be held Thursday, May 20th.

Carter was born in San Saba on September 10th, 1966. He developed an interest in sports at an early age. In first grade he would organize the teams on the playground at recess and the boys would all play football. He couldn’t play organized baseball until he was nine years old, so he began to play in tennis tournaments when he was eight. He also began to play golf at this time in his life, taking lessons from Larry McNeely and playing with his father, Owen Parks, especially in father/son tournaments. Finally the 7th grade came where he could compete in school athletics, playing football, basketball, and running track. His one great love, though, continued to be golf.

Even in the 7th grade, Carter was good enough to be shooting par golf. He won several medalist honors as he played in junior tournaments during the summer months. When he was in the eighth grade he finished second in the Texas Junior Open. This finish earned him an invitation to compete the next year in the World Pro Junior Golf Tournament at Greenlefe Country Club in Haines City, Florida. The tournament was late in the summer, right in the middle of two-a-day workouts for football and Carter was not finding much time to work on his golf game. This tournament had competitors from all over the world attending. Carter competed and finished in fifth place. Makes one wonder where he might have finished had he had a little more time to practice before the event.

Carter’s abilities were not limited to just golf. He started on the varsity basketball team his freshman year and was the starting quarterback on the varsity football team his sophomore year. In 1982, the spring of his sophomore year, Carter was a member of the San Saba golf team that won the UIL Boys State Championship. In the summer of 1982, Carter won the San Saba Golf Association club championship. When Carter’s death occurred in the summer of 1983, it was decided that the club championship trophy, which he had won the previous year, would be given to his parents in loving memory of their son’s talent and accomplishments. Owen and Linda then in turn donated to the golf association another trophy bearing Carter’s name, which is still awarded annually at the club championship.

The SSHSAA is proud to honor Carter Parks with its Spring Sports Alumni Award. In recognition of this honor, the SSHSAA will place a paver stone in the High School Building courtyard acknowledging this award.