Sparky Woods
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
December 20, 1953 Oneida, Tennessee |
| Playing career | |
| 1973–1975 | Carson–Newman |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1976 | Tennessee (assistant) |
| 1977 | Kansas (assistant) |
| 1978 | North Alabama (assistant) |
| 1979–1982 | Iowa State (assistant) |
| 1983 | Appalachian State (assistant) |
| 1984–1988 | Appalachian State |
| 1989–1993 | South Carolina |
| 1994 | New York Jets (assistant) |
| 1995–1996 | Memphis (assistant) |
| 1997–1998 | Virginia (assistant) |
| 1999–2002 | Mississippi State (assistant) |
| 2003–2006 | Alabama (assistant) |
| 2008–2014 | VMI |
| 2015–present | Richmond (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 80–108–5 |
| Tournaments | 2–2 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 SoCon (1986–1987) | |
| Awards | |
|
Kodak Region II Coach of the Year (1986) 3x Southern Conference Coach of the Year (1985–1987) | |
Phillip Perry "Sparky" Woods (born December 20, 1953) is an American football coach and former player. On February 20, 2015, he was named running backs coach, recruiting coordinator, and associate head coach, at the University of Richmond.[1] Prior, he was the head coach at the Virginia Military Institute, a position he held from 2008 to 2014. Woods served as the head coach at Appalachian State University from 1984 to 1988 and at the University of South Carolina from 1989 to 1993.
Playing career
Woods attended Oneida High School, where he is still currently in the Hall of Fame. He holds the record for the most interceptions in a season. He played quarterback and defensive back at Carson–Newman College before graduating in 1976.
Coaching career
Woods was named the 30th head coach at VMI on February 13, 2008.[2] Before arriving at VMI, Woods had over 30 years of college and professional coaching experience.
When coaching at South Carolina, a song about Sparky Woods entitled "Sparky Rock" was released on cassette tape.
On November 24, 2014, it was announced by VMI that Woods' contract would not be renewed by Athletic Director Dave Diles.[3] The announcement came less than a day after a 45–25 loss to arch rival The Citadel, ending a 2–10 season for the Keydets. In seven seasons, Woods attained a 17–62 record at VMI, including a mark of 9–32 in conference play.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | TSN[4]# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State Mountaineers (Southern Conference) (1984–1988) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Appalachian State | 4–7 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1985 | Appalachian State | 8–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | 12 | ||||
| 1986 | Appalachian State | 9–2–1 | 6–0–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 6 | |||
| 1987 | Appalachian State | 11–3 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal | 2 | |||
| 1988 | Appalachian State | 6–4–1 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| Appalachian State: | 38–19–2 | 25–9–1 | |||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA Division I-A independent) (1989–1991) | |||||||||
| 1989 | South Carolina | 6–4–1 | |||||||
| 1990 | South Carolina | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1991 | South Carolina | 3–6–2 | |||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (Southeastern Conference) (1992–1993) | |||||||||
| 1992 | South Carolina | 5–6 | 3–5 | 4th (Eastern) | |||||
| 1993 | South Carolina | 5–6 | 2–6 | T–4th (Eastern) | |||||
| South Carolina: | 25–27–3 | 5–11 | |||||||
| VMI Keydets (Big South Conference) (2008–2013) | |||||||||
| 2008 | VMI | 4–7 | 1–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2009 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2010 | VMI | 3–8 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2011 | VMI | 2–9 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2012 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2013 | VMI | 2–10 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (2014–present) | |||||||||
| 2014 | VMI | 2–10 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| VMI: | 17–62 | 9–32 | |||||||
| Total: | 80–108–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
Coaching tree
Assistant coaches under Sparky Woods who became NCAA head coaches:
- Tommy West: Chattanooga (1993), Clemson (1993–1998), Memphis (2001–2009)
References
- ↑ John, O'Connor (20 February 2015). "Ex-VMI coach Woods joins UR staff, Fisher promoted to offensive coordinator". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ↑ "VMI News Release on Hiring". Archived from the original on 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ↑ "Woods Contract Not Extended as VMI Head Football Coach". VMIKeydets.com. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ↑ Final poll standings are from The Sports Network.