Sparrow Getting his Chance in Augusta

by Mike Vergane
Published on June 25, 2000 under arenafootball2 (af2)

by Mike Vergane

If there is one thing that we have learned this af2 season is that most of these players just needed a chance to play. A perfect example of that theory is Augusta Stallions QB Aaron Sparrow.

Through 11 games, Sparrow has thrown for 2.888 yards and 54 TD's with only 5 interceptions. Augusta Head Coach Mike Neu is not surprised by his success and leadership.

"The first thing I did when I got the job here was call Aaron," Neu said. "All he needed was some playing time. The sky is the limit for him."

And Aaron is making the most of this opportunity and enjoying it, too. "I love it man! It's a great opportunity", said Sparrow. "Not only for me but for a lot of guys. The level of competition is just like Arena One. They might have a few guys who are bigger and faster, but the overall talent is just like Arena One."

Aaron would know because he spent time in the AFL. But then an injury ended all that. Now he finds himself adjusting to that "af2 lifestyle" which means finding another job to make ends meet.

"It's tough, but its a blessing too" said Sparrow. "I thank God for giving me the opportunity to play football and having the talent to stay focused. On a weekday I wake up at 7:15am because I have to be at work at 8:00am. I work at Rhino Linings. We put linings in the back of trucks, so my job is scuffing the back of trucks. And I get pretty tired, man; my knees start to hurt, but I have to do it because it's my job. When I get off work at 2:00pm, I come over here (the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center) and watch film from about 2:30pm to 3:00pm. I'll go to treatment from there just to get some ice on my shoulder or knees. Then we practice from about 6:00 to 7:30pm. Then I finally get to go home to my wife."

Aaron credits his wife, Sharnell, with making a lot of sacrifices just so he could pursue his dream. He met her while he was with the Nashville Kats and she left her job to follow him to Augusta.

Aaron grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia jus outside of Norfolk. He was a High School All-American there and highly recruited. He signed with the Virginia Cavaliers but did not qualify, so he signed locally with Norfolk State.

"My junior and senior year I was All-American. In my senior year I led the nation in total offense. I give all thanks to God and to my coach Darnell Moore. He was my high school and college coach. He taught me everything I know about the quarterback position; the dropbacks, the reads. He taught it all."

Even with the big numbers he put up at Norfolk State, Aaron did not get drafted coming out of college. Still, he opened the eyes of scouts at the 1996 combine in Indianapolis.

"They put us on a radar gun at the combines. There were about 30 quarterbacks there. Danny Kannell, Tony Banks, Ray Lucas, Bobby Hoying. There were some big arms there. A couple of days after the draft, a Minnesota Viking scout contacted me and told me that I clocked in with the strongest arm at the combine."

After a quick cup of coffee with the Calary Stampeders of the CFL, Sparrow came back home to Portsmouth and helped his old college coach, Darnell Moore at Norfolk State. It was there that we would cross paths with Arena Football.

"I was talking with Coach Moore and one of the scouts from the San Francisco 49ers called and asked about me. He said his son was coaching for the Nashville Kats (Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden) and I should contact him and give it a try. And I thought to myself 'Arena Football !? I don't want to play that. The fields too small!.' Then after thinking it over I said to myself, I'm not doing anything now. I should give it a try. So I went over there and made the team. I backed up Andy Kelly. Playing behind Andy Kelly in Nashville is like playing behind Joe Montana! You're not going to beat him out!"

Another quarterback on the roster that held the clipboard for Andy Kelly was Mike Neu, his current coach with the Augusta Stallions.

"Yeah, Mike was there sitting on the bench with me. Mike was a smart quarterback but he has really advanced in his knowledge of the game.I can remember when Neu was at quarterback in Nashville he would make the wrong reads just like me. But watching him now in practice going over things, it is automatic. He knows where everyone is supposed to be, and I'm like, 'Wow, how does he do that?"

After the 1997 season, Aaron took a chance and went up to Toronto to try out with the Argonauts of the CFL. As it turned out, Toronto later signed 2 ex-NFL quarterbacks and bumped Sparrow off the depth chart. Problem was, the Nashville Kats had already signed another QB to back up Andy Kelly. So with the 1998 season already underway, Aaron found himself out of football. But then, another opportunity arose.

"My agent called and said the Grand Rapids Rampage wanted to sign me. I got up to Grand Rapids two days before a game and had to learn the offense. I ended up playing that night and went something like 14 of 16 for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. But I threw an interception. And on that interception, I went to tackle the guy and I hurt my shoulder."

He was somehow able to finish the game but when he awoke the next morning he was unable to throw a football. He missed the rest of the 1998 season and the 1999 season rehabbing from surgery. When all of the work and pain started to get him down, it was his wife that put things back in perspective.

"I had to spend the year working out and lifting weights. It was very painful. I wasn't going to play football anymore until my wife told me not to give up. You're young and you've still got talent."

Aaron Sparrow feels like he is back 100% from his shoulder injury. He also feels like he has the arm strength that wowed the NFL scouts back in 1996. And right now he feels at home in Augusta playing for his former teammate, Mike Neu. The man that gave him his chance to play.

Mike Vergane writes his af2 column on a weekly basis for OurSports. He has covered college football for local and national radio since 1995.

arenafootball2 Stories from June 25, 2000

• Sparrow Getting his Chance in Augusta - OSC Original by Mike Vergane

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.