Phillippi Sparks
Encyclopedia
Phillippi Dwain Sparks (born on April 15, 1969 in Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
) is a former American football
player in the National Football League
.
Sparks graduated from Maryvale High School
in Phoenix, Arizona
in 1987. He then 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. He was drafted
by the New York Giants
as the 13th pick in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft
. 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
. Sparks announced his retirement on August 28, 2001, having played for nine seasons.
He now resides in NYC, New York
. His ex-wife, Jodi Sparks, is an entrepreneur. He is the father of son Phillippi Jr. and daughter Jordin
, a pop
/R&B international superstar singer, Grammy nominated and the winner of the sixth season of American Idol
in 2007.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Sparks graduated from Maryvale High School
Maryvale High School (Phoenix, Arizona)
Maryvale High School is part of the Phoenix Union High School District. The campus is located at 3415 North 59th Avenue northwest of downtown Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Maryvale’s enrollment is 2624 students, over 90 percent of whom are Hispanic...
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in 1987. He then attended and played football for
Glendale Community College
Glendale Community College (Arizona)
Glendale Community College is a community college in Glendale, Arizona USA. GCC opened its doors in 1965. Since then more than 350,000 students have taken credit classes. Programs include associate degrees, certificate programs, industry-specific training and university transfer. The school...
in Glendale, Arizona from 1987 through 1989. Sparks played a key role on Glendale Community College's 1988 National Junior College Athletic Association
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
national championship football team.
He then attended Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
as the 13th pick in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft
1992 NFL Draft
The 1992 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...
. He played left cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
opposite Jason Sehorn
Jason Sehorn
Jason Heath Sehorn is a former professional American football defensive back in the National Football League.-Early years:Sehorn was born in Sacramento, California...
for six years and formed a talented defensive backfield tandem. He played for the Giants until 1999
1999 NFL season
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...
. In 2000
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. Sparks announced his retirement on August 28, 2001, having played for nine seasons.
He now resides in NYC, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His ex-wife, Jodi Sparks, is an entrepreneur. He is the father of son Phillippi Jr. and daughter Jordin
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/R&B international superstar singer, Grammy nominated and the winner of the sixth season of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in 2007.