No. 57 | |||||||
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Position: | Center | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Murfreesboro, North Carolina, U.S. | November 20, 1957||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Hampton (Hampton, Virginia) | ||||||
College: | Alabama | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1980 / Round: 2 / Pick: 48 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Dwight Eugene Stephenson (born November 20, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1980 to 1987. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Stephenson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998. [1] [2]
Stephenson was born in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. He played college football at the University of Alabama under coach Bear Bryant. Bryant called Stephenson the best center he ever coached, and described him as "a man among children". [3] He was the Crimson Tide's starting center from 1977 to 1979, and was a member of Alabama's back-to-back national championship teams of 1978 and 1979. [4] He was a two-time second-team All-American; in 1978 by United Press International (UPI) [5] and 1979 by the Associated Press (AP) and UPI. [6] [7] "His speed, his foot quickness, was off the chart," said Mike Brock, a former Alabama lineman. "You couldn't compare it to other people who played at that time. There was no way for defenses to deal with him." [4]
Stephenson was drafted by Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 1980 NFL draft. He was used on special teams only until late in the 1981 season, when starting center Mark Dennard was injured. A few seasons later, Stephenson was "universally recognized as the premier center in the NFL". [8]
With the exceptionally explosive Stephenson as offensive captain, the Dolphins offensive line gave up the fewest sacks in the NFL for a record six straight seasons, from 1982 to 1987, [8] which doubled the length of the previous record. He retired from pro football in 1987, after sustaining a left knee injury in a play involving New York Jets Marty Lyons and Joe Klecko.
Stephenson was voted as an All-Pro five consecutive times from 1983 to 1987. He was selected to play on five Pro Bowl squads over the same span. He was named AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year by the NFLPA five consecutive times (1983–87) and voted the Seagram's Seven Crowns of Sports Offensive Lineman of the Year three consecutive times (1983–85). He started at center in the AFC Championship Game three times, in 1982, 1984, and 1985. He was the starting center in the Dolphins' two most recent Super Bowl appearances: Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX. In 1985, Stephenson was the recipient of the NFL Man of the Year Award for "outstanding community service and playing excellence." [9]
On December 12, 1994 Stephenson was added to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll.
Despite the brevity of his career, in 1999, Stephenson was ranked number 84 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Also in 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2011, Stephenson was inducted into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, for his contributions to sports in southeastern Virginia.
In 1998, Stephenson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was quoted as saying that "I know I’m not going to make every block, but I don’t like to ever get beat. That’s what keeps me motivated. There’s always the next play to get ready for.” [1]
In 2005, Stephenson was named the Walter Camp Man of the Year.
He is the namesake of Pro Football Focus' annual Dwight Stephenson Award, honoring the player the website considers best in the NFL regardless of position. [10]
After retiring from football, as of 2013, Stephenson had worked as a construction manager and general contractor in Florida. He remains a strong supporter of the University of Alabama's football team. [11]
Lance Dwight Alworth, nicknamed "Bambi", is an American former football wide receiver who played for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) and Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Often considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, he played for 11 seasons, from 1962 through 1972, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978. He was the first player inducted whose playing career was principally in the AFL. Alworth is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. His teammates called him Bambi because he had a baby face and could run like a deer.
Robert Allen Griese is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He earned All-American honors playing college football with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the Dolphins of the AFL.
Daniel Lee Dierdorf is an American sportscaster and former football player. He played 13 seasons (1971–1983) as an offensive tackle for the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).
Joseph Edward Klecko is an American former professional football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football for the Temple Owls and was a member of the Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange".
John Allen Hannah, nicknamed "Hog", is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at the University of Alabama, where he twice received All-American honors, and was selected fourth overall by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL draft. Named by Sports Illustrated magazine in 1981 as "the best offensive lineman of all time", Hannah received nine Pro Bowl and seven first-team All-Pro selections. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1991 he became the inaugural inductee of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
James Kent Hull was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL), more precisely a center for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL and Buffalo Bills of the NFL.
Robert Glenn Baumhower is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under coach Bear Bryant from 1973 to 1976 and professionally for Miami under coach Don Shula. He later became a restaurateur.
James Paul "Jimbo" Covert is an American former football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected in the first round of the 1983 NFL draft.
The 1983 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City, New York. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.
Louis James Kelcher is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), spending most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. He was a four-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Kelcher was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and is a member of their 40th and 50th anniversary teams.
James John Langer was an American professional football player who was a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. BBC Sport reported him as one of the greatest centers in NFL history. Langer was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1987.
The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980, at the New York Sheraton Hotel in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Detroit Lions selected running back Billy Sims.
Robert John Kuechenberg was an American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins for 14 seasons between 1970 and 1983, spending the 1984 season on injured reserve. He was a mainstay in a line that included Hall of Famers Jim Langer, Larry Little, and Dwight Stephenson and played in six Pro Bowls in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was selected as one of the top 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame from 2002 to 2006, and one of the top 17 finalists from 2007 to 2009, but missed the cut every year. He was inducted into the Miami Dolphin's Honor Roll on December 15, 1995. He was the brother of the retired Chicago Bears linebacker Rudy Kuechenberg.
Tim Ruddy is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 2003. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Hugh Donell Green is an American former football linebacker who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1991. He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers as a defensive end, and was recognized as a three-time consensus All-American. Green was selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL draft, and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins.
Martin Anthony Lyons is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle and defensive end for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1970s and 1980s. Lyons played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, earning consensus All-American honors. Selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft, he played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Jets. He was a member of the Jets' famed "New York Sack Exchange," the team's dominant front four in 1981 and 1982 that also featured Mark Gastineau, Abdul Salaam and Joe Klecko.
Edward Kenneth Newman is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 to 1984. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, he played 167 games over 12 seasons with the Dolphins. He is now a judge in Florida, and he has recently published his memoir, Warrior Judge: One Man's Journey from Gridiron to Gavel.
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