Phillippi Dwain Sparks (born April 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
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| Born: | April 15, 1969 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Maryvale (Phoenix, Arizona) | ||||||||
| College: | Arizona State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1992 / round: 2 / pick: 41 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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Sparks graduated from Maryvale High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1987. He attended and played football for Glendale Community College in Glendale, Arizona, from 1987 through 1989. Sparks played a key role on Glendale Community College's 1988 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship football team.
He then attended Arizona State University, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.[citation needed] He was selected by the New York Giants as the 13th pick in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft.[1][2] He played left cornerback opposite Jason Sehorn for six years and formed a talented defensive backfield tandem. He played for the Giants until 1999. In 2000, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys.[3] Sparks announced his retirement on August 28, 2001, having played for nine seasons.
He now resides in San Diego.[1] Sparks has a son and a daughter. His daughter, Jordin, is a Grammy nominated singer who won the sixth season of American Idol in 2007.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Freeman, Mike (August 4, 1995). "Giants' Sparks has a new attitude". New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ Aron, Jaime (October 12, 2000). "Ex-Giant Sparks ready to tackle NY". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Elber, Lynn (May 24, 2007). "17-year-old Jordin Sparks claims 'Idol' title". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved October 11, 2021.