Less than 24 hours after VMI’s 45-25 loss to arch-rival Citadel, football coach Sparky Woods was informed by athletic director Dave Diles that his services were no longer needed at the Lexington-based military school.
Woods was told by Diles in a meeting Sunday that his contract would not be extended. The school made the official announcement Monday in a news release.
“I like coaching and I want to coach, so I’m real sorry we couldn’t win more games at VMI. I think we fixed everything but that,” Wood said. The shortage of victories ultimately spelled the end for Woods, who finished with a 17-62 record in his seven-year stint.
Woods has been a college football coach for the past 37 years, plus a season as an assistant with the NFL’s New York Jets in 1994. He was a two-time SoCon coach of the year at Appalachian State in 1986 and ’87, when he led the Mountaineers to league titles. He was head coach at South Carolina from 1989-93.
