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On a warm mid-June day last year,
Sanford "Mutt" Stephens came home to Uniontown, Pennsylvania
for the last time. It would have been a great day for Stephens to hit
homeruns, or practice his jump shot or punt a perfect 50 yard
spiral. But instead it was the day they paid tribute to the man
who had mastered all those things and who taught us all that those
mastered skills could take you to the limits of human accomplishment. If
the local newspapers had bothered to cover the funeral of Mutt Stephens
at Mt. Rose Baptist Church that day, they would have discovered how much
he had inspired the generations of athletes who followed him. That
church, that day was full of All-Americans and Champions of every
stripe, who had each been touched by his greatness. Greatness that had
grown up in their neighborhood. And they all knew that is why they too
had become All-Americans and Champions! |
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FIRST
PRINTED IN THE SUMMER OF 1997
On Thursday morning, Uniontown native Sanford Stephens will become the 64th person to enter the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in Pasadena, California. If you look back at the life of the man and those who followed him, perhaps you can better understand the significance of such an honor.
by Al Owens
January 31st, 1988. Super Bowl XXII at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. A one-time All American leads his team through one of the most spectacular achievements in American sports history. By the end of that day Doug Williams would be hailed as The Super Bowl MVP. And why not?
In the second quarter alone he threw for four touchdowns. His Washington Redskins would destroy John Elway and his Denver Broncos by 32 points.
As wide eyed sports fans across the world watched in awe, African Americans everywhere stood and cheered. They realized one of sports' last great obstacles had finally and convincingly been overcome. Doug Williams had been the first quarterback of his race to start a Super Bowl game.
In nearly 70 years of professional football in this country only a handful of black quarterbacks started in just a few NFL football games.
When Williams finished his work that day he'd left no doubt about a black man's ability to get that particular job done.
One man, 2011 miles away, not only stood and cheered he exploded with joy. He had known in the first person the tremendous weight Doug Williams had carried onto the field that afternoon and he knew too the sense of triumph he carried from it.
Sanford Stephens Jr. of Uniontown, Pennsylvania had felt very much the same thing 26 years and 30 days before. The
day he lead his Minnesota Golden Gophers to a 21-3 victory over UCLA.
No wonder he has such respect and admiration for Doug Williams the quarterback and Doug Williams the man. "When I saw what he (Williams) did that day, I just threw back my head yelled. And that's something I only do for Willie Mays," Stephens proclaims.
That may seem to be a simple proclamation. But if you carefully examine it, you'll find the true importance of Sandy Stephens.
Doug Williams not only broke, he shattered an invisible color barrier. Something for which he'll long be remembered. But Willie Mays wasn't known for breaking through any barriers. He set standards. The standards by which all great baseball players, black or white, will forever be compared.
Sandy Stephens fits easily into both categories. Just ask the folks in Pasadena!
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I've got to have it today!!
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The surroundings looked familiar to Sandy Stephens on January 1st, 1962. He'd been there the year before, but he'd lost. This time it was different. In late November, when fellow Uniontown native and childhood playmate, Ernie Davis became the first African American to win a Heisman trophy, Stephens finished fourth. And in early December he'd earned his very own milestone. He was the first black quarterback to be named All American. On this day, against UCLA, Stephens had something to prove to the 98,214 fans in Pasadena and the millions
of fans around the world. A loss a year earlier wouldn't mean much on this day. All Sanford Stephens had in his mind was, "Naw, not today. "I've got to have it today". So the swaggering Pennsylvanian with the All American good looks, and the All American good headlines, went to work.
To this day you can't convince him he'd done it on his own. He did have two other Pennsylvanians with him. Bill Munsey, who grew up a fly pattern or so away from him on Grant Street, was one halfback. Judge Dickson of Clairton was another one.
But the fact is, Stephens did more than was expected of him that day. He'd step up to the line, lift one heel off the Rose Bowl turf and suddenly a receiver would fly in motion. A nice bit of dramatics he'd taken with him to Minnesota. "Coach Bill Power had me doing that in high school", Stephens offers from his home in St Paul, Minnesota.
The dramatics may have been Power, the talent was all Stephens. By the end of the game he'd scored two of the teams three rushing touchdowns, was the Gophers' leading rusher, 46 yards, he passed for 75 yards, he played free safety on defense, he held for all three extra points, he was a kickoff returner, a punt returner and he also punted.
What's the big deal about Deion Sanders? Next to Sandy Stephens, "Neon Deion" would have looked like a night light!!! "I wanted to do everything (Hall of Famer) Paul Hornung did. He punted so I punted." But Hornung didn't play defense. And Horning never walked away with the honor of being the MVP of the Rose Bowl.
So memorable was Stephens' 1962 Rose Bowl performance, next week they're returning him to the scene of his greatest single triumph to place his name among some of the biggest in college football history in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. Woody Hayes, Archie Griffin, Dick Butkus and Bob Griese are just a few the names of previous honorees. There aren't many. Just 64 players, coaches or Tournament of Roses officials stretched over 83 Rose Bowl Games. "This is beyond a dream come true", Stephens beams.
It is a dream that would have never had a chance of coming true if it wasn't for a nudge he'd gotten from a close friend.
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PART TWO |
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