Ken Sparks
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Carson–Newman |
| Conference | SAC |
| Record | 334–92–2 |
| 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–present | Carson–Newman |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 334–92–2 (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 an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Carson–Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, a position he has held since 1980, and is the winningest football coach in NCAA Division II history. His Carson–Newman Eagles have won five NAIA Championships (1983–1984, 1986, 1988–1989), and have been runners-up in the NCAA Division II playoffs once (1996).
Early life
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.
Sparks, who was once Fellowship of Christian Athletes National Coach of the Year, actively pursues a Christian aspect in his coaching and is a popular public speaker. He was quoted as saying that, if football can be used as a tool to bring people to the Lord, then "it has done something. If it hasn't, we haven't done a thing, no matter how many games we won."[1]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson–Newman Eagles (South Atlantic Conference) (1980–present) | |||||||||
| 1980 | Carson–Newman | 7–3 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1981 | Carson–Newman | 7–4 | 4–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1982 | Carson–Newman | 10–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1983 | Carson–Newman | 10–3 | 6–1 | 1st | W NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1984 | Carson–Newman | 10–2–1 | 6–1 | 1st | T NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1985 | Carson–Newman | 5–5 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1986 | Carson–Newman | 12–1 | 6–1 | 1st | W NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1987 | Carson–Newman | 10–4 | 4–3 | T–3rd | L NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1988 | Carson–Newman | 12–2 | 5–2 | T–1st | W NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1989 | Carson–Newman | 12–1 | 6–1 | 1st | W NAIA Championship | ||||
| 1990 | Carson–Newman | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NAIA Semifinal | ||||
| 1991 | Carson–Newman | 10–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1992 | Carson–Newman | 8–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | L NAIA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1993 | Carson–Newman | 8–2–1 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 1994 | Carson–Newman | 8–3 | 6–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 1995 | Carson–Newman | 9–3 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1996 | Carson–Newman | 12–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Championship | ||||
| 1997 | Carson–Newman | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Semifinal | ||||
| 1998 | Carson–Newman | 12–2 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Championship | ||||
| 1999 | Carson–Newman | 13–1 | 8–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Championship | ||||
| 2000 | Carson–Newman | 8–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2001 | Carson–Newman | 6–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2002 | Carson–Newman | 12–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2003 | Carson–Newman | 11–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2004 | Carson–Newman | 9–3 | 6–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Second Round | ||||
| 2005 | Carson–Newman | 8–2 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2006 | Carson–Newman | 8–3 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2007 | Carson–Newman | 10–1 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 2008 | Carson–Newman | 7–4 | 5–2 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| 2009 | Carson–Newman | 11–3 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division II Semifinal | ||||
| 2010 | Carson–Newman | 7–4 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2011 | Carson–Newman | 5–6 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2012 | Carson–Newman | 9–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2013 | Carson–Newman | 10–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | L NCAA Division II Second Round | ||||
| 2014 | Carson–Newman | 7–3 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2015 | Carson–Newman | 9–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| Carson–Newman: | 334–92–2 | 201–52 | |||||||
| Total: | 334–92–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
See also
- List of college football coaches with 200 wins
- List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association