Joe Sparma was the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading them to a Big Ten Championship in 1961. He quit the team after the 1962 season due to conflicts with coach Woody Hayes and decided to focus on baseball. He signed with the Tigers and got off to a fast start with the team, going 13-8 with a 3.18 ERA in his first full season in 1965. However, he was not able to sustain that early success and by 1968 Sparma was again having conflicts with leadership, this time Tigers manager Mayo Smith, who pulled Sparma from the rotation mid-season and barely used him after that. He was traded to the Expos after the 1969 season but pitched poorly for them, ending his major league career at the age of 28. In 183 games he went 52-52 with a 3.94 ERA. After his baseball career he worked for Buckeye Steel in Worthington, OH. He died from complications of a heart attack in 1986 at the age of 44.
I have six of his cards, from 1965 to 1970. I would be interested in trading for 1964 Topps #512.
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