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." After 37 years as the head coach at Carson–Newman University, Ken Sparks announced his retirement on November 14, 2016, at a press conference in the Ken Sparks Athletic Complex on the campus of Carson–Newman University. Sparks died March 29, 2017, after a four-year battle with
prostate cancer. ==Head coaching record==