| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 26, 1930 |
| Died | April 22, 2010 (aged 79) Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1951–1954 | Lawrence |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1960–1964 | Oconto Falls HS (WI) |
| 1969–1972 | Drake (assistant) |
| 1973–1977 | Chadron State |
| 1978–1981 | Bemidji State |
| 1982–1985 | Dubuque (assistant) |
| 1993–1998 | Carroll (WI) (assistant) |
| 1999 | Lawrence (assistant) |
| Baseball | |
| 1982–1985 | Dubuque |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1960–1969 | Dallas Cowboys (scout/part-time administrator) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 3–53–1 (college football) 43–59 (college baseball) |
Richard A. "Sparky" Adams (August 26, 1930 – April 22, 2010) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska from 1973 to 1977 and at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota from 1978 to 1981, compiling a career college football coaching record of 3–53–1.[1][2] Adams also served as the head baseball coach at the University of Dubuque from 1982 to 1985, tallying a mark of 43–59.[3] Early in his career, he was hired by Gil Brandt to be a scout and part-time assistant for the fledgling Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL).[4]