| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | (1972-01-27)January 27, 1972 (age 53) | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Woodrow Wilson(Portsmouth, Virginia) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Norfolk State | ||||||||||||
| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1996 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career Arena League statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Aaron Sparrow (born January 27, 1972) is an American former professionalfootballquarterback who played three seasons in theArena Football League (AFL) with theNashville Kats,Grand Rapids Rampage andCarolina Cobras. He playedcollege football atNorfolk State University. He was also a member of theCalgary Stampeders,Augusta Stallions,Buffalo Destroyers,Norfolk Nighthawks andWichita Stealth.
Sparrow playedhigh school football atWoodrow Wilson High School inPortsmouth, Virginia. He was the All-Tidewater Player of the Year in 1989 and 1990.[1] He also earnedParadeAll-American honors and helped the team win a state championship.[2][3][4] Sparrow recorded career totals of 78 touchdown passes and 5,182 career passing yards.[1]
Sparrow originally committed to play football for theVirginia Cavaliers but ended up transferring to Norfolk State University after failing to meet academic requirements.[5][6][7]
Sparrow played for theNorfolk State Spartans from 1992 to 1995. He recorded 617 completions, 1,119 attempts, 8,758 passing yards and 79 TD passes in his college career. He was a 3-time All-CIAA selection, 1994 CIAA Offensive Player of the Year, 1995 CIAA Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a 2-timeDivision II All-American from 1994 to 1995. He was Named to the Football Gazette Division II All-America Team as a junior in 1994, when he passed for 3,212 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing what was then a school record 59.8 percent of his passes. Sparrow was also named 1st team Football Gazette and 3rd TeamAP All-American as a senior. He was inducted into the Norfolk State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.[8]
Sparrow signed with theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League (CFL) in May 1996.[9] He was released by the team on June 11, 1996.[10]
Sparrow appeared in two games for theNashville Kats of theArena Football League (AFL) in 1997.[11] He had a tryout with theToronto Argonauts of the CFL after the1997 season.[3]
Sparrow played in one game for theGrand Rapids Rampage of the AFL during the1998 season, completing 13 of 16 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns.[11][12] He also threw an interception during the game and hurt his shoulder when he attempted to tackle the returner. He finished the game but could not throw a football when he woke up the next morning. Sparrow missed the rest of the 1998 and 1999 seasons rehabbing from surgery.[3]
Sparrow played for theAugusta Stallions of theaf2 in 2000, earning af2 Offensive Player of the Year honors after completing 335 of 513 of his passes for 4,000 yards and 78 touchdowns with a 122.94 passer rating.[11][13] He also rushed for 54 yards and eleven touchdowns.[11] He garnered First Team All-af2 recognition as well.[13]
Sparrow was signed by theBuffalo Destroyers of the AFL in October 2000.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on April 9, 2001. He was released by the Destroyers on July 20, 2001.[15]
Sparrow signed with theCarolina Cobras of the AFL on November 27, 2001, recording fourteen touchdown passes on 595 yards during the2002 Arena Football League season.[12][16] He was released by the Cobras on November 2, 2002.[17]
Sparrow played for theNorfolk Nighthawks of the af2 in 2003 and completed 239 of 395 passes for 3,006 yards and 51 touchdowns.[11] During his time with the franchise, Sparrow was the oldest player on the roster.[18]
Sparrow played for theWichita Stealth of the af2 in 2004.[19]
| Year | Team | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 1998 | Grand Rapids | 13 | 16 | 81.2 | 171 | 2 | 1 | 116.41 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | Carolina | 57 | 95 | 60.0 | 595 | 14 | 6 | 88.71 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Career | 70 | 111 | 63.1 | 766 | 16 | 7 | 93.15 | 4 | 11 | 1 | |
Stats from ArenaFan:[20]
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