| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1953 Oneida, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1973–1975 | Carson–Newman |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1976 | Tennessee (assistant) |
| 1977 | Kansas (assistant) |
| 1978 | North Alabama (DB) |
| 1979–1982 | Iowa State (WR) |
| 1983 | Appalachian State (OC/QB/RB) |
| 1984–1988 | Appalachian State |
| 1989–1993 | South Carolina |
| 1994 | New York Jets (OA) |
| 1995–1996 | Memphis (OC/QB) |
| 1997–1998 | Virginia (OC/QB) |
| 1999–2002 | Mississippi State (OC/QB) |
| 2003–2006 | Alabama (RB) |
| 2008–2014 | VMI |
| 2015–2016 | Richmond (RB/RC) |
| 2017–2018 | Richmond (RB/co-STC) |
| 2019–2023 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 80–108–5 |
| Tournaments | 2–2 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 SoCon (1986–1987) | |
| Awards | |
| 3× Southern Conference Coach of the Year (1985–1987) | |
Phillip Perry "Sparky" Woods (born December 20, 1953) is an American football coach. He is a senior adviser for football team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Woods served as the head football coach at Appalachian State University from 1984 to 1988, the University of South Carolina from 1989 to 1993, and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), from 2008 to 2014.
Woods attended Oneida High School, where he is in its Hall of Fame. He holds the record for the most interceptions in a season. He played quarterback and defensive back at Carson–Newman College before graduating in 1976.
Woods was named the 30th head coach at VMI on February 13, 2008.[1] Before arriving at VMI, Woods had over 30 years of college and professional coaching experience.
When coaching at South Carolina, a song about Woods entitled "Sparky Rock" was released on cassette tape.
On November 24, 2014, it was announced by VMI that Woods' contract would not be renewed by Athletic Director Dave Diles.[2] The announcement came less than a day after a 45–25 loss to arch rival The Citadel, ending a 2–10 season for the Keydets. In seven seasons, Woods compiled a 17–62 record at VMI, including a mark of 9–32 in conference play.
On February 20, 2015, he was named running backs coach, recruiting coordinator, and associate head coach, at the University of Richmond.[3]
In 2019, Woods joined Mack Brown's staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a senior adviser to Brown.[4]
Woods and his wife, Jean Ann, have two children, a daughter, Emily, and a son, Casey who is on the SMU football staff. [5]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NCAA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State Mountaineers (Southern Conference) (1984–1988) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Appalachian State | 4–7 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1985 | Appalachian State | 8–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | 12 | ||||
| 1986 | Appalachian State | 9–2–1 | 6–0–1 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 6 | |||
| 1987 | Appalachian State | 11–3 | 7–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal | 2 | |||
| 1988 | Appalachian State | 6–4–1 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| Appalachian State: | 38–19–2 | 25–9–1 | |||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA Division I-A independent) (1989–1991) | |||||||||
| 1989 | South Carolina | 6–4–1 | |||||||
| 1990 | South Carolina | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1991 | South Carolina | 3–6–2 | |||||||
| South Carolina Gamecocks (Southeastern Conference) (1992–1993) | |||||||||
| 1992 | South Carolina | 5–6 | 3–5 | 4th (Eastern) | |||||
| 1993 | South Carolina | 5–6 | 2–6 | T–4th (Eastern) | |||||
| South Carolina: | 25–27–3 | 5–11 | |||||||
| VMI Keydets (Big South Conference) (2008–2013) | |||||||||
| 2008 | VMI | 4–7 | 1–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2009 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2010 | VMI | 3–8 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2011 | VMI | 2–9 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2012 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 2013 | VMI | 2–10 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (2014) | |||||||||
| 2014 | VMI | 2–10 | 1–6 | 8th | |||||
| VMI: | 17–62 | 9–32 | |||||||
| Total: | 80–108–5 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||