When one thinks of Carson-Newman football, several words immediately come to mind: consistent, dominant, powerhouse and Ken Sparks. The numbers speak for themselves.
During his 24 seasons at the helm, the Carson-Newman Eagles have compiled a 234-54-2 record with a win percentage of .812. That winning percentage ranks Sparks second in the NCAA Division II among active coaches and puts him fourth among active coaches in all divisions of the NCAA.
The run of success began in 1982 during his third season on the job. Sparks guided the Eagles to a 10-2 record and an NAIA playoff berth. Carson-Newman lost in the first round that year, but things in Jefferson City would never be the same again.
The following year, Carson-Newman grabbed it’s second-straight South Atlantic Conference (SAC) title and breezed through the playoffs to win the NAIA Champion Bowl and the first national football title in school history.
Through the years, the winning continued. Over his 24-year career, Spark’s Eagles have won five national championships, four national runner-up finishes, 17 SAC championships and 19 NAIA or NCAA playoff appearances.
As would be expected for someone with his long list of accomplishments, Sparks has become one of the most decorated coaches in college football. He was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1984 and has been voted SAC Coach of the Year by his peers eleven times. He was named the Fellowship of Christian Athletes National Coach of the Year, the American Football Coach Magazine Division II Coach of the Year and the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002.
In 2000, the Eagles were named Amateur Team of the year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to his many football accolades, Coach Sparks is a highly sought after speaker. He delivers speeches to many coaches clinics, church groups and civic organizations. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association and has been inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame, the Carson-Newman Athletic Hall of Fame and is a nominee for the NAIA Hall of Fame.
Coach Sparks also received the All-American Football Foundation’s Johnny Vaught Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.