Getting to Know Us. . .
This week we would like to acquaint you with Senior Associate Athletics Director for Business Operations, Bill Sparks.
Sparks is a native of Kegley, West Virginia which is a small town in the southeast corner of the state. He came to UW in November of 1998, and is now in his 13th year. He has oversight of the following areas: budgets and finances; payroll, and personnel; capital projects; facility management/scheduling; game management; athletic concessions, and athletic equipment room. He also is sports supervisor for the men's and women's golf programs.
Sparks earned his undergraduate degree from Marshall University, and his master's from the University of Georgia. He came to Wyoming from the private sector in Knoxville, Tennessee. After earning his master's from Georgia, he worked at the University of Kentucky athletics department.
Some questions for Bill:
What have been your biggest sports moments?
"While I was at Kentucky the basketball team won the national championship. That was really exciting. Since I've been at Wyoming, the Cowboys' victory over Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament was great; the Cowgirls' WNIT was very, very special. Of course our Las Vegas and New Mexico Bowl victories were great because we were underdogs.
If you could have been a professional athlete in what sport would it have been?
"It would have been the NBA. I really like basketball. The only thing holding me back was my size and my ability."
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
"It was Man from U.N.C.L.E. I wanted to be a secret agent."
Your favorite movie of all time?
"No question it was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. I love adventures. Indiana Jones was terrific.
What was a favorite family tradition?
On the weekends, mainly Sunday, our family would go on a family picnic. My mom make a dinner, and we go somewhere together. I really loved that, and we all looked forward to it."
What have you been most proud of during your time at Wyoming?
"Probably to see the facility improvements and be a part of those projects would be one. Where we were in 1998, and where we are now is just amazing. I feel so good about the RAC, the Indoor, the tennis center, our locker room upgrades and the Wildcatter because they are not only helping our student-athletes, but our fans as well. I'm also very proud that our athletic business office has achieved 13 straight years of clean NCAA audits by our external auditors. That is very rewarding to our staff."
What is a career goal?
"If the situation was right, I would like to become an athletics director. That's why I got into college athletics. I understand that will take time. I got started late since I changed my career path. I am very happy here at Wyoming, it's been a great experience for me. I have many good friends here. But at the same time you always have to look for career opportunities.
What is your favorite food?
"I love Italian food, but my mom's meatloaf and cornbread is second to none."
What is a dream vacation?
"Some place tropical. I love being around the water. Growing up I spent a lot of vacation time at beaches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. It took me a little bit to adjust to the cold up here. But the parka that I bought that everyone told me I had to have if I was moving to Wyoming is still in my closet. I've never worn it, so I guess it didn't take me that long to adjust."
How About That Soccer Team!. . .
What a run the Cowgirls had in Albuquerque. Maybe one of the best aspects of their historic performance in the Mountain West Conference Tournament--going all the way to the championship final--was the fact that the roster included only three seniors. Sara Paul, the team's leading scorer, was just a freshman.
Of the three Cowgirls selected on the All-MWC Tournament Team, one was a senior (midfielder Allison Masumiya) and the other two were juniors (Ashlyn Mazur and Sydney Jones).
Clearly the future is very bright for Danny Sanchez and his Cowgirls.
Busy Weekend. . .
When working in the intercollegiate athletics department one always circles the weekends that will be humdingers. We have one coming up this weekend.
Friday:
State High School Football Championships: Noon and 3 p.m. and 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Swimming hosts Air Force, diving at 3:15 p.m. followed by swimming events at 5 p.m.
Wrestling hosts a rules seminar at 5:30 p.m. with the Brown vs. Gold meet to follow at 5:45 p.m.
Women's basketball hosts Utah State, 7 p.m.
Saturday:
Wrestling hosts Cowboy Open, all day
Men's basketball hosts Western State, 8 p.m.
If you haven't gotten your tickets for all of this action, click here or drop by the ticket office.
Air Force football Game. . .
If you are considering going to Saturday's big football game at Air Force, you need to call the Air Force Academy ticket office (1-800-666-8723). The UW ticket office is sold out of its consignment tickets. Make sure you mention that you are a Wyoming fan since the AFA ticket office has set aside additional tickets near the Wyoming seating area for Cowboy fans.
From the Ticket Office. . .
There are still great seats available for Wyoming's final home football game of the season against New Mexico on November 19. Tickets are $30 each for Senior Day.
Great basketball season tickets are still available for both the Cowgirls and Cowboys. Prices are $200 for a Cowboy season ticket and $125 for a Cowgirl season pass. Family Plan options also are available. Don't forget to check out the marked seats at upcoming games. Those are open seats that could be your season seats.
Wrestling season tickets are now on sale. They are only $50 for the entire season which includes the Cowboy Open and six duals. This year's schedule includes Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. To order tickets now click here.
By the way, single-day ($30) and all-session ($50) tickets for the Wildcatter are on sale for the state high school football championships. Contact Sarah McCance with the Cowboy Joe Club at 307-766-6168.
Around the Chutes. . .
While there are a ton of events at Laramie this week, a pair of Wyoming programs are on the road. The Cowgirl volleyball team takes on New Mexico at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Albuquerque. The Cowgirls then meet TCU at Ft. Worth on Saturday at noon.
The cross country team travels to Provo, Utah, this weekend to compete at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships.
This week we would like to acquaint you with Senior Associate Athletics Director for Business Operations, Bill Sparks.
Sparks is a native of Kegley, West Virginia which is a small town in the southeast corner of the state. He came to UW in November of 1998, and is now in his 13th year. He has oversight of the following areas: budgets and finances; payroll, and personnel; capital projects; facility management/scheduling; game management; athletic concessions, and athletic equipment room. He also is sports supervisor for the men's and women's golf programs.
Sparks earned his undergraduate degree from Marshall University, and his master's from the University of Georgia. He came to Wyoming from the private sector in Knoxville, Tennessee. After earning his master's from Georgia, he worked at the University of Kentucky athletics department.
Some questions for Bill:
What have been your biggest sports moments?
"While I was at Kentucky the basketball team won the national championship. That was really exciting. Since I've been at Wyoming, the Cowboys' victory over Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament was great; the Cowgirls' WNIT was very, very special. Of course our Las Vegas and New Mexico Bowl victories were great because we were underdogs.
If you could have been a professional athlete in what sport would it have been?
"It would have been the NBA. I really like basketball. The only thing holding me back was my size and my ability."
What was your favorite TV show growing up?
"It was Man from U.N.C.L.E. I wanted to be a secret agent."
Your favorite movie of all time?
"No question it was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'. I love adventures. Indiana Jones was terrific.
What was a favorite family tradition?
On the weekends, mainly Sunday, our family would go on a family picnic. My mom make a dinner, and we go somewhere together. I really loved that, and we all looked forward to it."
What have you been most proud of during your time at Wyoming?
"Probably to see the facility improvements and be a part of those projects would be one. Where we were in 1998, and where we are now is just amazing. I feel so good about the RAC, the Indoor, the tennis center, our locker room upgrades and the Wildcatter because they are not only helping our student-athletes, but our fans as well. I'm also very proud that our athletic business office has achieved 13 straight years of clean NCAA audits by our external auditors. That is very rewarding to our staff."
What is a career goal?
"If the situation was right, I would like to become an athletics director. That's why I got into college athletics. I understand that will take time. I got started late since I changed my career path. I am very happy here at Wyoming, it's been a great experience for me. I have many good friends here. But at the same time you always have to look for career opportunities.
What is your favorite food?
"I love Italian food, but my mom's meatloaf and cornbread is second to none."
What is a dream vacation?
"Some place tropical. I love being around the water. Growing up I spent a lot of vacation time at beaches in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. It took me a little bit to adjust to the cold up here. But the parka that I bought that everyone told me I had to have if I was moving to Wyoming is still in my closet. I've never worn it, so I guess it didn't take me that long to adjust."
How About That Soccer Team!. . .
What a run the Cowgirls had in Albuquerque. Maybe one of the best aspects of their historic performance in the Mountain West Conference Tournament--going all the way to the championship final--was the fact that the roster included only three seniors. Sara Paul, the team's leading scorer, was just a freshman.
Of the three Cowgirls selected on the All-MWC Tournament Team, one was a senior (midfielder Allison Masumiya) and the other two were juniors (Ashlyn Mazur and Sydney Jones).
Clearly the future is very bright for Danny Sanchez and his Cowgirls.
Busy Weekend. . .
When working in the intercollegiate athletics department one always circles the weekends that will be humdingers. We have one coming up this weekend.
Friday:
State High School Football Championships: Noon and 3 p.m. and 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Swimming hosts Air Force, diving at 3:15 p.m. followed by swimming events at 5 p.m.
Wrestling hosts a rules seminar at 5:30 p.m. with the Brown vs. Gold meet to follow at 5:45 p.m.
Women's basketball hosts Utah State, 7 p.m.
Saturday:
Wrestling hosts Cowboy Open, all day
Men's basketball hosts Western State, 8 p.m.
If you haven't gotten your tickets for all of this action, click here or drop by the ticket office.
Air Force football Game. . .
If you are considering going to Saturday's big football game at Air Force, you need to call the Air Force Academy ticket office (1-800-666-8723). The UW ticket office is sold out of its consignment tickets. Make sure you mention that you are a Wyoming fan since the AFA ticket office has set aside additional tickets near the Wyoming seating area for Cowboy fans.
From the Ticket Office. . .
There are still great seats available for Wyoming's final home football game of the season against New Mexico on November 19. Tickets are $30 each for Senior Day.
Great basketball season tickets are still available for both the Cowgirls and Cowboys. Prices are $200 for a Cowboy season ticket and $125 for a Cowgirl season pass. Family Plan options also are available. Don't forget to check out the marked seats at upcoming games. Those are open seats that could be your season seats.
Wrestling season tickets are now on sale. They are only $50 for the entire season which includes the Cowboy Open and six duals. This year's schedule includes Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. To order tickets now click here.
By the way, single-day ($30) and all-session ($50) tickets for the Wildcatter are on sale for the state high school football championships. Contact Sarah McCance with the Cowboy Joe Club at 307-766-6168.
Around the Chutes. . .
While there are a ton of events at Laramie this week, a pair of Wyoming programs are on the road. The Cowgirl volleyball team takes on New Mexico at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Albuquerque. The Cowgirls then meet TCU at Ft. Worth on Saturday at noon.
The cross country team travels to Provo, Utah, this weekend to compete at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships.
