In 2024 Mike Parker will start his 27th season as the Iowa City West Girls Track & Field head coach. He just finished his 29th year as the Iowa City West Girls Cross Country head coach. Once again, this year Parker is focused on building on the success of last year’s programs and having an even greater 2024. Since taking over the Iowa City West programs he has been on a mission to build and maintain the kind of foundation that would assure that the Iowa City West consistently contend for conference, state and national honors every year. Mission accomplished. West High has achieved a level of excellence over the last 27 years paralleled by no team in the state. Parker has brought the Iowa City West Girls Track & Field and Cross Country teams to conference, regional, state and national prominence over his 29 years at the helm, having won 11 State Championship team titles (6 track & field and 5 cross country), 32 Regional Championship team titles (15 track & field and 17 cross country), and 37 Mississippi Valley Conference Championship team titles (18 track & field and 19 cross country). Parker ranks 3rd All-Time in most track & field team state titles by one coach and tied for most in 4A history. He has won the 4th most All-Time in cross country by one coach. He also has collected 9 State Championship Runner- up trophies along the way as well for a total of 20 Top 2 finishes at the State Championships in his 29 years. His track & field athletes have also collected 26 Drake Relays Flags. Parker has coaching experience in all events in track & field. His focus has always been on finding success with a well balanced team. He came to Iowa City West after coaching at Clear Creak Amana Middle School, West Branch High School and Mount Saint Claire College. During his tenure the Trojans have set new school records in 18 of the 19 events, set 9 All-Time State Championship records, 3 Drake Relays records, 4 Iowa All-Time Best Records and had 3 different girls set Iowa All-time records in cross country. His teams have also held both the track & field and cross country State Championship scoring records. The 2010 season brought success at the state championships, winning the state team title by 24 points, the largest margin in 4A history at the time and set 2 All-time records. In 2001the West High girls’ cross country team won the state title with 28 points the lowest score ever recorded at the State Championships at the time and is still the only team to ever place 5 girls in the top 10 at the State Championships. His 2004 cross country team qualified for the prestigious Nike Cross Country National Championships and placed 10th, which is still the best finish by an Iowa high school team in State history.
Parker has been recognized by his peers at the highest level having been selected the Iowa High School State Coach of the Year or the At-Large Coach of the Year 32 times by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches (14 track & field and 18 cross country). The Mississippi Valley Conference coaches have selected Parker as the M.V.C Coach of the Year 28 times (13 track & field and 15 cross country). In 2019 the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union honored Parker with The Golden Plaque of Distinction Award. Parker was only the 6th track & field recipient in Iowa history. Parker has been a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Girls Track & Field National Coach of the Year 3 times (2010, 2015 and 2018). In 2018 Parker was selected as the Girls Track & Field National Coach of the Year. In 2022 Parker was inducted into the National High Schools Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The Iowa City West High girl’s track & field teams have enjoyed unprecedented success. They won 3 straight State Championship team titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Not only did they win 3 straight state titles, but they were the 3 time undefeated state champions as well heading into the 2009 season, only having lost 1 time in 4 years. Not only has Parker coached his athletes to be competitive on the state level but on the national level as well. He has coached 110 track & field state champions, 6 cross country individual state champions, 9 All-Americans, 26 Drake Relays Champions and 9 All-Time State Record holders. As of the 2024 season his athletes appear on the Iowa All-time Best List an amazing 18 times. His 6 individual cross country state champions tie him for the most by any coach in state history. Each year he continues to add to the long list of track & field and cross country athletes that go on to compete for many of the premier collegiate programs in the United States receiving multiple NCAA All-American honors.
Parker ran collegiately at the University of Kansas for the legendary coach Bob Timmons and had the opportunity to train with and learn from America’s greatest distance runner former world record holder and Olympic silver medalist Jim Ryun. Both had a huge impact on Parker’s coaching philosophy.
Parker takes great pride in working to grow the sports of track & field and cross country. Two of the many ways he does that is by passionately serving on the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Board of Directors as well as on the Track Guy Foundation Board of Directors. “I have a deep rooted passion for coaching. From the day I started coaching I have been laser focused on leading, teaching and inspiring my teams to achieve more than they ever dreamed was possible. I coach for relationships and championships, that has been the case from day one and drives me just as much over 29 years later."
When he is not at practice or a meet with his West High teams, he is enjoying another career passion of his, motivational speaking. Parker is a very successful motivational speaker, author, and success coach. He has been delivering his highly motivational and inspirational presentations for over 20 years to large corporations, small businesses, school districts, colleges, and a wide variety of organizations. In 2023 his long awaited book, Ask Yourself, Inspiring Questions for Health, Happiness and Self-Discovery hit the bookshelves. You can check it out at www.AskYourselfBook.com You can check out his motivational speakingwebsite at www.Mike-Parker.com.
Mike is married to his wife Brenda, an elementary school principal in the CCACSD and they
have a daughter, Sofia who is 12, she is a passionate PGA Juniors golfer throughout the Midwest.

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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2022 Inducted into National High School Coach Hall of Fame
2019 Iowa High School Athletic Union Golden Plaque of Distinction Award
2018 Girls Track & Field National Coach of the Year
32 x Iowa Assocation Track Coaches State and At-Large Coach of the Year
28 x Mississippi Valley Conference Coach of the Year
11 x Team State Champions
37 x Team M.V.C. Conference Champions