Howard Stevens

Last updated

Howard Stevens
Stevens-Howard-1977.jpg
Stevens in 1977
No. 22, 27
Position: Running back,
Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1950-02-09) February 9, 1950 (age 74)
Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight:165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school: Harrisonburg
College: Louisville, Randolph-Macon
NFL draft: 1973  / round: 16 / pick: 392
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:63
Starts:0
Punts returned:163 (1,559 yards)
Kickoffs returned:103 (2,336 yards)
Yards rushing:376
Touchdowns:4
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Howard Melvin Stevens Jr. (born February 9, 1950) is an American former professional football player who was a running back and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Colts. [1] He is among the smallest players to have ever played in the NFL and was the smallest player in the league during his five active seasons, 1973 through 1977. [2]

Contents

College

Stevens started his college career at Randolph-Macon College, where he was named All-American in 1968 (honorable mention) and 1969 (second-team). [3] On a team that won the Mason–Dixon Conference championship with a 9–0–0 record in his freshman year, he was the league Most Valuable Player as the NCAA College Division leader in scoring and rushing with 142 points and 1,468 yards respectively and was featured in Faces in the Crowd in the January 20, 1969 issue of Sports Illustrated . [4] He transferred to the University of Louisville where he earned a B.A. in Psychology. [5]

Stevens played only two seasons for Louisville but has been inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. [6] In 1972, Stevens was named to the United Press International, the Walter Camp and the Football News all-American football teams and the Associated Press Second-team. [7] The University of Louisville retired Stevens' jersey in 1972. He set a school record for rushing yards in a season with 1,429 yards in 1971 while scoring 12 touchdowns. He is currently ranked fourth all-time in school history with 2,723 rushing yards and is sixth with 25 career touchdowns. [8]

NFL

Stevens, who was listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall and 165 lb (75 kg)., [9] was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 16th round (392nd overall) of the 1973 Draft. [10] He played two years for the Saints, lead the NFL in 1974 in kick-off and punt returns. [11] In 1975, Stevens was picked up by the Baltimore Colts where he was used exclusively as a kick-off and punt returner. During his tenure in the NFL, he was the league's smallest player. [2] He rushed for a total of 376 yards on 89 carries and scored 4 touchdowns. As a kick returner he ran for 2336 yards on 103 returns. He returned 163 punts for 1,559 yards. He never returned a kick-off or punt for a touchdown. [12]

Later years

After leaving the Baltimore Colts, Stevens remained in the Baltimore area. He and his wife Joyce have three adult children.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Unitas</span> American football player (1933–2002)

John Constantine Unitas was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "Johnny U" and "the Golden Arm", Unitas was considered the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback and is regarded as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

Super Bowl V was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1970 season. It was the fifth edition of the Super Bowl and the first modern-era NFL championship game. The Colts defeated the Cowboys by the score of 16–13 on a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game. The game was played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and was the first Super Bowl game played on artificial turf; specifically, the game was played on a Poly-Turf surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl X</span> 1976 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl X was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1975 season. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys by the score of 21–17 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. They were the third team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It was also the first Super Bowl in which both participating teams had previously won a Super Bowl, as the Steelers were the defending champions and the Cowboys had won Super Bowl VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Rossum</span> American football player (born 1975)

Allen Bonshaca Lamont Rossum is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leroy Kelly</span> American football player (born 1942)

Leroy Kelly is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 to 1973. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Sproles</span> American football player (born 1983)

Darren Lee Sproles is an American professional football executive and former running back. He is now a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats, earning first-team All-American honors and becoming the school's all-time leading rusher. Sproles was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Eagles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devin Hester</span> American football player (born 1982)

Devin Devorris Hester Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). The only primary return specialist to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is widely considered to be the greatest return specialist of all time. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he was the first player in the university's recent history to play in all three phases of American football: offense, defense and special teams. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Hester also played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks over his 11-season NFL career. He is also the only player to return the opening kick of a Super Bowl for a touchdown. Hester was selected to the NFL All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s.

Robert Dean Boyd was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Boyd spent his entire nine-year career as a cornerback for the Baltimore Colts from 1960 to 1968. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Cribbs</span> American football player (born 1983)

Joshua Cribbs is an American former professional football wide receiver and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes and was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 NFL draft. Cribbs is tied for the second most NFL career record with eight kickoff returns for touchdowns, and also the NFL record with two kickoffs of 100 yards or more returned for touchdowns in a single game. He has also played for the New York Jets, the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts. He was most recently a special teams coaching intern for the Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Jones-Drew</span> American football player (born 1985)

Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew, often called "MJD", is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Taliaferro</span> American football player (1927–2018)

George Taliaferro was an American professional football player who was the first African American drafted by a National Football League (NFL) team. Beginning his football career at Indiana University for the Hoosiers team, he played in the NFL for the New York Yanks from 1950 to 1951, the Dallas Texans in 1952, the Baltimore Colts from 1953 to 1954, and Philadelphia Eagles in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Taseff</span> American football player and coach (1928–2005)

Carl N. "Gaucho" Taseff was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Taseff had an 11-year playing career, primarily with the Baltimore Colts, where he was a member of the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championship winning teams. Taseff then coached for 27 seasons, winning Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl VIII as part of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.

Aaron Duane Bailey is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League (NFL). Bailey later played for one season in the XFL (2001) and six seasons in the Arena Football League (2001–2006). He played college football at Louisville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacoby Jones</span> American football player (1984–2024)

Jacoby Rashi'd Jones was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, Jones also played with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League in 2017.

Robert Hardy "Bake" Turner is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). He played college football at Texas Technological College, then professionally for nine seasons. He was with the AFL's New York Jets, where in 1963 he replaced Art Powell who had been traded to the Oakland Raiders. He was a member of the Jets' AFL and Super Bowl III teams after the 1968 season, and also played for the Baltimore Colts and Boston Patriots of the NFL.

Charles Irving "Charlie" Leigh Sr. was a National Football League (NFL) running back. He was the first and only NFL player to be signed out of high school. He is best known for backing up Larry Csonka and returning kicks for the Miami Dolphins' back to back Super Bowl champions in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. He also played for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. He played a total of six seasons in the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Thigpen</span> American football player (born 1986)

Marcus Arnette Thigpen is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2006. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Thigpen was also a member of the Denver Broncos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandon Doss</span> American football player (born 1989)

Tandon Mic Doss is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for the Indiana University Hoosiers. Doss was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. Y. Hilton</span> American football player (born 1989)

Eugene Marquis "T. Y." Hilton is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the FIU Panthers and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Hilton has also played for the Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavon Austin</span> American football player (born 1990)

Tavon Wesley Austin is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, receiving first-team All-American honors twice and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

References

  1. ↑ "All-Time Players". National Football league. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Runts in the Big League". Time. December 5, 1977. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  3. ↑ "R-MC Football All-Americans". Randolph-Macon College. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Faces in the Crowd," Sports Illustrated, January 20, 1969. Archived January 22, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 24, 2020
  5. ↑ "Howard Stevens". Pro Player Connect. Retrieved January 12, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Athletic Hall of Fame". University of Louisville. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  7. ↑ "All-Americans". University of Louisville. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  8. ↑ "University of Louisville Football Post-Game Notes". University of Louisville. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Who is the shortest NFL player?". NokiaSugarbowl. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Howard Stevens". Sports Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  11. ↑ "1974 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". ProFootball References.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Stevens: Career Stats". NFL.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.