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| No. 22, 20. | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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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.
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]
- ^ 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.