It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Michael Parker.
As the scorching hot Nevada days of the summer transition to brisk afternoons in December, the San Francisco, California, native dusts off his custom black Santa Claus regalia for gamedays. Parker, an accountant by trade, jokingly admitted it’s too hot to wear a full Santa costume to Allegiant Stadium during the first half of the season, instead opting for a personalized jersey with his name.
But as soon as the calendar turns to December, Parker embodies Raider Nation’s jolliest fan – Raider Claus.
“It’s kind of blown up to where if you need Raider Claus to show up, if it’s humanely possible, I’m going to show up,” Parker told Raiders.com. “Anything I can do to help the community, I’m going to do.”
Parker became a Raiders fan at 10 years old, with his eyes glued to the television set as the Raiders took the American Football League by storm. Soon after the merger with the NFL, the Silver and Black’s dominance bled over into the new league as they won their first Super Bowl title in the 1976 season.
It was the Raiders that helped Parker find his love for the game of football, playing tight end in high school and donning No. 87 for his favorite player Dave Casper.
“Who wouldn’t love the Raiders?” Parker said. “The mavericks, the cast-offs and just the aura of the Raiders and Al Davis. The mystique of all the rejects from other teams came and had careers with the Raiders. As a young boy growing up in the Bay Area, the Raiders were the draw. You can’t resist it.”