Ken Sparks
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
February 25, 1944 Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Playing career | |
| 1967 | Carson–Newman |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977–1979 | Farragut HS (TN) |
| 1980–2016 | Carson–Newman |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 338–99–2 (college) 29–5 (high school) |
| Tournaments | 19–5 (NAIA playoffs) 19–15 (NCAA D-II playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 5 NAIA (1983–1984, 1986, 1988–1989) 21 SAC (1982–1984, 1986, 1988–1991, 1993–1999, 2002–2004, 2007–2009) |
|
Ken Sparks (born February 25, 1944) is a former American football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Carson–Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee from 1980 until his retirement at the end of the 2016 season. He is currently the record-holder for the most wins as a coach in NCAA Division II history. His Carson–Newman Eagles won five NAIA Championships (1983–1984, 1986, 1988–1989), and were once runners-up in the NCAA Division II playoffs (1996).
Sparks was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He played college football as a wide receiver at Carson–Newman and graduated from the school in 1968. He was football coach at Gibbs High School in Knoxville. The next year he received a master's degree from Tennessee Technological University where he also coached quarterbacks and receivers. He coached at Morristown East High School in Morristown, Tennessee.
In the early 1970s, Sparks was an assistant coach on the Carson–Newman football team that was a runner up in the NAIA championship game. He coached the school's track team and he was named Southern Collegiate Track Coach of the Year. In 1977 he returned to Carson-Newman where he coached the track team.
In the fall, he coached at Farragut High School in Knoxville where he accumulated a 29–5 record. Among his players was Bill Bates.
Following his string of successes, Carson-Newman built the new Burke–Tarr Stadium in 2005.
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