Hall of Fame
Jay Sparks first arrived at CSU as the coach chosen to start the women’s basketball program in 1989. He led that program to national notoriety over his 20-year career. After the first several seasons of recruiting and implementing his style of play, Sparks had his first 20-win season in 1993-1994. In the 1999-2000 season, he led his team to the NCAA Elite Eight and the first ever Division II Final Four Appearance. His finest season came in 2000-2001 when his team won a record 31 straight games, was ranked number one in the country for eight straight weeks and once again made it to the NCAA Elite Eight and Final Four. His overall career record is 367-231 including an even more impressive mark of 333-159 mark over his final 16 years. Over those 16 seasons, Sparks and the Lady Cougars had 10 20-win seasons. Over the course of his career, Sparks coached 21 All-Peach Belt Conference Players and two All-Americans. His teams also won four PBC Championships and two PBC Tournament titles. He was named the PBC Coach of the Year three times. Sparks left coaching to take on the role of CSU athletic director in April of 2008, moving up from assistant athletic director – a post he held for 10 years. Under Sparks’ direction, the athletic department added five new NCAA sports to including women’s golf, rifle, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s volleyball.
