By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Each year, Otsego Public Schools honors a past graduate with the Outstanding Alumnus Award during the Otsego High School Honors Night.
This year’s honoree was Brian Spark.
Described as a “lifelong bulldog” in a release from OPS, Sparks—a 1985 Otsego High School graduate—continues to make an impact on the district and its students.
Best known as Coach Sparks, he’s coached at Otsego for 37 years in addition to working for OPS with the grounds and maintenance department.
According to Sparks, being selected for this award was humbling.
“It’s a true honor,” he said of receiving the Outstanding Alumnus Award. “All the people that I’ve been able to work with here over the last 40 years—some of them who are on this wall (referencing the Outstanding Alumni display)—be thought of as someone like them is a pretty big honor.”
Sparks began his coaching tenure with Otsego High School as a member of the high school football staff, a role he continues. He has coached the high school wrestling team for the past 17 years.
In addition to his work at the high school level, Sparks as coached middle school wrestling and helped with youth wrestling and football programs for many years.
Getting into the coaching ranks seemed like a natural progression for Sparks.
During his high school career, he was a competitive athlete. The coaches and teachers he met along the way served as mentors for him in addition to being a positive influence in his life.
He wanted to give back to his community by serving in that same capacity to the student-athletes in the district who followed him.
So when he was invited to join the coaching staffs for football and wrestling shortly after graduating, he didn’t hesitate to say “yes.”
“At that time, I knew my passion and commitment for this town and the school system where I wanted to continue to grow,” he said. “Without (being offered those coaching positions), I never would have been introduced to what I love to do now.”
According to Sparks, the athletes he coaches and their families have become his “community.”
That feeling is mutual, based on the comments made by the person who nominated Sparks for the award.
“Brian is always there to help anyone anytime, whether it’s taking them to and from practice when they need a ride, helping them with homework or supplying them with a meal if needed,” according to Spark’s nomination. “He has been a mentor and a role model for many students during his time here at OHS.
“He is more than just a coach. He is a friend and someone that many students look up to even beyond their years at OHS.”
Sparks finished his acceptance speech by speaking directly to the students in attendance.
“No matter what path you choose in your life, there are four things you need to think of,” he said, before encouraging them to define what success means to them, find their community, find their passion and commit to it.
He also pointed out that there is more than one path to success.
“I wasn’t a kid who went on to college after high school,” he said. “So, I think it says that you can still find great success just finding a passion and trying to live that passion out and finding ways you can be successful in a different route.”
