Citation :Dad's life is story behind Sparks' 'Idol' win
Paola Boivin
The Arizona Republic
May. 26, 2007 09:37 PM
It always is the middle of the story that solves the riddle.
Not the beginning, when Phillippi Sparks watched his single mom walk through the door after one of her three jobs with a bag of fried chicken from her fast-food employer. Not the end, when Jordin Sparks looked out at the audience after being crowned the new American Idol and said, "Mom, Dad, I love you."
But in between, where you learn how Sparks grew up in west Phoenix wanting more and found it - in the NFL, where he played for nine seasons, and in a family, where he and his wife, Jodi, produced a daughter who suddenly is more recognizable than all the members of President Bush's Cabinet.
"Two days ago, she was hugging Tom Cruise, and yesterday, Kevin Costner kissed her on the cheek," Phillippi said. "Oh my goodness."
Jordin's weekly exposure on American Idol and the frequent cutaway shots to her parents have thrust Phillippi back into a spotlight, one that dimmed when he retired from the NFL in 2001 after eight years as a cornerback with the New York Giants and one with the Dallas Cowboys.
Locally, his name always has meant something. He was a standout at Maryvale High School and Glendale Community College before his success at Arizona State catapulted him to the pros.
His newly re-charmed life was no sure thing.
Sparks' mom, Guinnetta, struggled to raise her children. She worked long hours but managed "to kick our (backsides) if we got out of line," Sparks said.
"It was tough. I remember when the other kids had Nikes, we had Payless. We had to rely on food stamps and welfare. It made you humble, and it drove me to not want to be like that. I wasn't embarrassed, but I knew there was something else."
Phillippi, too, was a gifted singer as a youth, and his mother frequently entered him in talent shows. His greatest talent was in sports, however, and he excelled as a Junior Olympics boxer and as a standout basketball player. But football opened the most doors.
Sparks' neighborhood was rich in talent. Former NFL players Darren Woodson and Kevin Miniefield lived nearby. After Maryvale, Sparks attended Glendale Community College, where he played football and met Jodi Weidmann.
Sparks went on to ASU in 1990 and was 20 when he married Weidmann. With college studies, football and a new baby, Jordin, life was challenging.
For a while, Jodi hid from Phillippi the fact that she was using food stamps to buy groceries.
"I began wondering how the grocery bags got full," he said. Occasionally, his father-in-law, Jim, would slip him a few extra dollars on the side. Weidmann also helped deflect attention from agents so Sparks could focus on school and train for a potential NFL career.
"I love that man so much," Sparks said. "He made things easier for me."
Meanwhile, young Jordin began to sing. When family friends would visit, she would break out in song.
At school, at church, at local fish fries and any time the opportunity presented itself, she shared her talent.
Because Phillippi's NFL career forced the family to move several times during her childhood, Jordin learned how to adapt effortlessly to new situations. It contributed to the poise she demonstrated so well on Idol.
Phillippi retired from the NFL in 2001, when Jordin was 11.
It wasn't an easy decision. Although he made it to the playoffs twice with the Giants, they didn't advance to the Super Bowl until the season after he left.
Retirement did give him more time to spend with his daughter and son, P.J.
Jordin began singing at numerous competitions and in 2004, a talent manager for Christian singer Michael W. Smith spotted her. Soon, she joined the popular singer on tour.
Meanwhile, Phillippi reminded her of his life path.
"Remember," he said. "Anything is attainable."
When she turned 16, Jordin tried out for American Idol's Season 5 in Los Angeles. A producer told her, "You're not good enough," Phillippi recalled.
Jordin told her father that day that she was going to "pray to the Lord to shut all the doors, and if one opens, that's what I'll do." The next day, a scout for Torrid, a plus-size modeling agency, saw her and asked if she would like to model for the company. She did, and doors continued to open.
In November, she won an Arizona Idol contest on Channel 10 and an opportunity to audition in Seattle for the national show.
"Our lives got crazy, but it was my wife who kept our family glued," Sparks said.
Recently, Sparks has helped coach football at Glendale Community College, but his life is about to become much busier. Even though they will hire an agency to work with Jordin's career, the parents plan to have a heavy role in the day-to-day managing.
In the meantime, Phillippi plans to embrace the moment.
"The highs of playing football don't compare to this," he said. "This is your flesh and blood, and you had a part in making it. Amazing.
"I mean, I never got to the Super Bowl. She did."
source:
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns ... n0527.html