George B. Sparkman Jr.

George Bascom Sparkman Jr. (January 31, 1886 – July 7, 1924) was an American football player and coach, once a key figure in Florida athletics.[1] Sparkman played and later coached at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, posting wins over rival St. Pete.[1][2][3] Among his pupils at Hillsborough High were Dutch Stanley and Speedy Walker. Sparkman assisted the 1919 Florida Gators football team.[4] He played for coach Mike Donahue's Auburn Tigers football team in 1908. He possibly saved a touchdown by recovering a fumble against Sewanee at the 2-yard line.[5] He also ran for a 65-yard touchdown against Georgia Tech.[6] Sparkman died at the age of just 38 of tetanus.[1]

George B. Sparkman
Biographical details
Born(1886-01-31)January 31, 1886
Tampa, Florida
DiedJuly 7, 1924(1924-07-07) (aged 38)
Miami, Florida
Playing career
1908Auburn
Position(s)End/Halfback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
?Hillsborough High School
1919Florida (assistant)
1923Hillsborough High School

Early years

George Bascom Sparkman Jr. was born to George Sr., an attorney and mayor of Tampa, and Mary Elizabeth Kershaw on January 31, 1886. He married Pearl Luther of Albertville, Alabama.[7]

References
  1. "Geo. Sparkman's Death is Loss To Florida Athletics". The Miami News. July 9, 1924.
  2. "Hillsborough Terriers". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  3. "Hillsborough Too Strong For St. Petersburg Team". The Evening Independent. October 22, 1923.
  4. "Nightshirt Parade Celebrates Mercer's 48 to 0 Defeat". The Florida Alligator. October 24, 1919.
  5. "Auburn Downs Mountain Men", Montgomery Advertiser, October 25, 1908.
  6. "Auburn Beats Yellow Jackets". Atlanta Constitution. November 8, 1908. p. 4. Retrieved September 10, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  7. "UF Digital Collections".
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