College career:
Parks played for the California Golden Bears from 1999-2002. He was named to the Coaches' All-Pac-10 first-team as a senior.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
Parks made the 49ers 53-man roster out of training camp as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He was inactive for the first 3 games of the season before making his NFL debut on October 5, 2003 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in 15 games for the 49ers that year, primarily as a backup running back and fullback.
New York Jets
On August 29, 2005, Parks was traded to the Jets for a conditional 7th-round draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Parks played in 11 games for the Jets that season, primarily as a backup running back. He was waived by the Jets on September 2, 2006.
Las Vegas Raiders
In the 2013 season, Parks was hired by the Oakland Raiders as a defensive quality control coach. In 2015, he was promoted to assistant special teams coach and in 2018 he was promoted to assistant running backs coach. In February 2021, Parks was promoted to running backs coach, replacing Kirby Wilson, who had been promoted to offensive coordinator