2009 All Star Coach West
Head Coach Randy Lark
Alma High School
Randy graduated in 1979 from Wyoming Lee High School. He became a Spartan in the fall of 1979 under the direction of MSU football coach, Daryll Rodgers. He was a member of the All Big Ten team in 1982. He was selected to the All-American Strength Team in 1983 for his accomplishments in the MSU weight room where he set a bench pressing record of 540 pounds. Randy moved on as a free agent to the Washington Redskins in the 1984 NFL draft. He never played NFL football and instead elected to move back to Michigan and pursue a career in education. Randy believes that coaching has always been about teaching life lessons through athletics.
Lark was the offensive line coach at Ferris State University from 1984-1986. He obtained his teaching certificate and his Masters in Athletic Administration from Central Michigan University during that time and took a physical education teaching position with Fulton-Middleton Schools in 1987. He coached football for nine years at Fulton before moving to Alma in 1996. He spent 13 years as the head varsity football coach for Alma leading their teams to seven playoff berths. He worked with a dedicated staff of coaches to lead their 2007 team to a Conference and District Championship that year before losing in the Division 4 Regional Finals to the Marine City State Champions. Randy received Regional Coach of the Year honors three times during his high school football coaching career that spanned 22 years.
Randy has been married to his wife Sonia for 25 years. They have three children, all of whom are collegiate athletes. Brett played running back for Hillsdale College and Sarah plays volleyball for Ferris State University. Their son Kyle is playing for the West team this year and will attend Western Michigan University and play linebacker for the Broncos this fall. “This is a great opportunity to coach in this East-West All Star game where so many premier athletes come together each summer to play the game one more time as high school athletes. I want to acknowledge their hard work and efforts this week as they dedicate themselves to play the game they love. I give great credit to the All Star coaches on my staff and believe their participation is a testament to their dedication to this sport and these young men.”