CLEMSON — A former two-sport star at Clemson will have his name etched into history this weekend. Kyle Parker was a campus legend in the early 2000s and he’ll have his name inducted to the Clemson Hall of Fame.

In an exclusive with The Clemson Insider, he talked about what it means to reach this moment and become immortal at his alma mater.

“Honestly, it’s pretty surreal. Just thinking about all the great times I’ve had playing here and great people I’ve met, just honored to be selected as a hall of famer. But you know, really happy to come back and see everyone and watch the Tigers play,” Parker said.

Parker was the starting quarterback at Clemson in 2009 after redshirting his first season, and broke freshman records once he took the field. He finished the season with 20 passing touchdowns, but his talents were even more represented on the baseball field.

Over his Tigers baseball career, he was a first-team All-ACC player and hit 20 home runs in 2010. Achieving 20 home runs and 20 touchdowns in the same academic year is something that was never done at Clemson, and still hasn’t to this day as two-sport athletes are such a rare commodity. Parker takes pride in that accomplishment and reflected on it now over a decade removed.

“Absolutely something that I’m really proud of and you know, honestly I just feel really grateful for Dabo and Coach [Jack] Leggett for just being great influences and coaches and allowing me to excel at both football and baseball,” Parker said.

While he’s been back on campus, it’s been eye-opening for Parker to see the evolution of Clemson athletics. With today’s facilities and all the access Tigers student athletes have to their needs, it’s something Parker is really proud of Clemson for.

It goes beyond just the facilities. The school as a whole has grown and Parker’s seen it first hand.

“It’s great. Just the town, you can tell it’s growing. The university’s growing, the other sports that were added with softball and it’s awesome to look at and just see the quality…it’s just so beautiful with everything that they’ve done and everything’s first class,” Parker said.

Parker will be officially recognized as a Clemson Hall of Famer during the game against Florida State, and he’s going to have one thing on his mind in that moment. It’s a selfless one, and he’s thankful for everything the Tigers have presented him.

“Just the people that helped me get to where I ended up. Like I said, Jack and Dabo are two guys who believed in me and gave me an opportunity. For me, I’m just super grateful for them and grateful for everyone I’ve played with, all my teammates, people who helped me around the community. I think that’s what I’m going to be thinking of most.”