Jump to content

John Stephens (American football)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Stephens
No. 44, 32, 21
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born:(1966-02-23)February 23, 1966
Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Died:September 1, 2009(2009-09-01) (aged 43)
Keithville, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Springhill (Springhill, Louisiana)
College:Northwestern State
NFL draft:1988: 1st round, 17th pick
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:3,440
Average:3.6
Rushing touchdowns:18
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Milton Stephens (February 23, 1966 – September 1, 2009) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+1⁄8 in
(1.83 m) 		220 lb
(100 kg) 		8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		 4.41 s 1.54 s 2.59 s 4.22 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 23 reps

Stephens played college football for the Northwestern State Demons in Louisiana, where he broke the program's career rushing record previously set by Joe Delaney. Following his senior season, he was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round (17th overall) of the 1988 NFL draft.[1] Stephens played in six NFL seasons from 1988 to 1993, the first five for the Patriots. As a rookie for the Patriots during the 1988 NFL season, Stephens rushed for 1,168 yards and was selected to his only Pro Bowl. His final season, Stephens played in five games for the Green Bay Packers before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Bruce Pickens. He was with Atlanta for only two weeks and played in no games for the Falcons before being released,[2] and finished the season playing in seven games for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Stephens was married to All-American college swimmer Sybil Smith. Their daughter Sloane Stephens, born in 1993, is a professional tennis player who won the 2017 US Open women's singles title. His son John Stephens Jr. plays tight end in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys.[3]

Stephens was twice charged with rape. In 1994, after his final NFL season, he was accused of raping a woman at a Kansas City hotel.[4] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.[5] On September 1, 2009, Stephens died in a car accident while driving on a rural road near Shreveport, Louisiana.[6]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Year Team GP Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1988 NE 16 297 1,168 3.9 52 4 14 98 7.0 17 0
1989 NE 14 244 833 3.4 35 7 21 207 9.9 37 0
1990 NE 16 212 808 3.8 26 2 28 196 7.0 43 1
1991 NE 14 63 163 2.6 13 2 16 119 7.4 24 0
1992 NE 16 75 277 3.7 19 2 21 161 7.7 32 0
1993 GB 5 48 173 3.6 22 1 5 31 6.2 10 0
KC 7 6 18 3.0 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
Career 88 945 3,440 3.6 52 18 105 812 7.7 43 1

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Falcons release Stephens". UPI.com. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "John Stephens Jr". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "Former Patriot wanted for rape". UPI. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  5. ^ Crouse, Karen (September 5, 2009). "For a Rising Tennis Star, a Connection, Then Dealing With Loss". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Wreck claims NSU football great John Stephens". September 2, 2009. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Stephens_(American_football)&oldid=1291578154"