No. 22, 27 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Running back | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. | February 9, 1950||||
Height: | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||||
Weight: | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Virginia) | ||||
College: | Louisville, Randolph-Macon | ||||
NFL draft: | 1973 / Round: 16 / Pick: 392 | ||||
Career history | |||||
| |||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Player stats at PFR |
Howard Melvin Stevens Jr. (born February 9, 1950) is an American former National Football League (NFL) running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Colts. [1] He was one of the smallest players to play in the NFL and was the smallest during his 5 years in the league. [2]
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]
Stevens, who was listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall and 165 lb (75 kg)., [9] was drafted 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] 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]
After leaving the Baltimore Colts, Stevens remained in the Baltimore area. He and his wife Joyce have three adult children.
John Constantine Unitas was an American football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Following a career that spanned from 1956 to 1973, he has been listed as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.
Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name "Super Bowl". Super Bowl III is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in both American football history and in the history of professional sports. The 19 1⁄2- points underdog American Football League (AFL) champion New York Jets defeated the National Football League (NFL) champion Baltimore Colts by a score of 16–7.
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.
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.
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.
Darren Lee Sproles is an American 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.
Joshua Cribbs is an American former 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.
Terrall Brent "T. J." Rushing is an American football coach and former player who most recently served as the defensive backs coach at Texas A&M University. As a player, he played as a cornerback and return specialist. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with the team. He won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis, when the Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. He played college football at Stanford.
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.
John B. Sample Jr. was an American football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts (1958–1960), Pittsburgh Steelers (1961–1962), and Washington Redskins (1963–1965), and in the American Football League (AFL) for the New York Jets (1966–1968), winning three league championships.
The 1968 NFL Championship Game was the 36th annual championship game. The winner of the game represented the National Football League (NFL) in the third AFL–NFL World Championship Game. The NFL title game was held December 29 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 1964 NFL Championship Game was the 32nd annual championship game, held on December 27 at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. With an attendance of 79,544, it was the first NFL title game to be televised by CBS.
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.
William Lamar Lothridge was an American football punter and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, the Los Angeles Rams, the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins. He played college football at Georgia Tech.
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.
Eugene Marquis "T. Y." Hilton is an American 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.
Tavon Wesley Austin is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, receiving first-team All-American honors twice. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2016, and was selected by the Ravens with the final pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. Intended to serve as a backup in his rookie season, Jackson became the Ravens' starting quarterback after an injury to incumbent Joe Flacco. He went on to clinch a division title with the team and became the youngest NFL quarterback to start a playoff game at age 21.