Loye Sparks

Loye Sparks enjoyed an outstanding basketball career at Arkansas City Junior College, including being named an All-American in 1961. That same year, Sparks tied Del Heidebrecht’s single-game scoring record at the college with a 49-point outburst against Pratt on Feb. 21, 1961. In that same game, Sparks established the college’s all-time single-game record for field goals with 22.

Sparks also was a two-time All-Jayhawk Conference selection (1959-1961) and played in the North vs. South All-American Game.

From ACJC, Sparks earned a scholarship to play basketball for KU from 1961-1963.

In 1964, Sparks went to work for Santa Fe Railroad. He held various jobs before retiring from the company in 1996 as manager of information system services.

He served as a deacon for six years at Northland Christian Church, an elder for six years at the same church, co-chaired ACTS long-range planning, and has coached little league baseball and basketball and won a state championship and went on to the world series.

Sparks is a 1980 graduate of the Institute of Business Economics and Management at the University of Southern California.

He and his wife Roberta have been married 38 years. They have four children, all of whom went on to college on basketball scholarships, including Kelly and Kris at Cowley County Community College. He and his wife also have seven grandchildren. Sparks lives in Topeka.