Dave Sparks
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- Class Year:
- 1972
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- Induction Year:
- 2001
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- Role/Sport(s) Played:
- Football, Track and Field
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- Club Team:
- Student-Athlete
A four year letter winner in football, Dave Sparks was an All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Northern Division honorable-mention pick and an Eastern College Athletic Conference all-star in his sophomore season as a halfback after leading Juniata in rushing yards with a personal-best 949 yards (fourth-best effort in College Hill history). He ran for 1,970 yards in his career, including 177 yards in 1968, 508 yards on 236 attempts (second-highest total in program annals) in 1970 and 336 yards in 1971, in addition to his 1969 total. A team captain in 1971, he led the 1969 squad in total offense and scoring with 949 yards and 56 points (nine touchdowns and a two-point conversion), respectively. He also helped the gridiron squad to a 7-2 mark in 1968 when he started several games as a freshman. At the time of his induction, he ranked fourth on the all-time rushing list at Juniata, and his 192 yards on 26 carries at Albright in 1969 still stood as the third-best single-game rushing effort. He was a four-year letter winner as a sprinter on the track and field team and won the MAC 100-yard dash outdoor title in 1971 (10.1 seconds). He was also the indoor champion of the same race that year and he held the 100 record (9.8) at Juniata for many years (pre-meters).
