Howard Stevens

Howard Stevens
No. 22, 27
Position: Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1950-02-09) February 9, 1950
Place of birth: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Career information
College: Louisville, Randolph-Macon
NFL Draft: 1973 / Round: 16 / Pick: 392
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • Lead NFL in punt and kick-off returns (1974)
Career NFL statistics
Total all-purpose yards: 4,271
Career touchdowns: 4

Howard Melvin Stevens Jr. (born February 9, 1950, in Harrisonburg, Virginia ) is a former NFL running back who played for the New Orleans Saints and the 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]

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] and then transferred to the University of Louisville where he earned a B.A. in Psychology .[4] Stevens played only two seasons for Louisville but has been inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

NFL

Stevens, who was listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall and 165 lb (75 kg).,[8] was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 16th round (392nd overall) of the 1973 Draft.[9] He played two years for the Saints, lead the NFL in 1974 in kick-off and punt returns.[10] 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.[11]

Later years

After leaving the Baltimore Colts, stevens moved to Indiana. He and his wife Joyce have three adult children.

References

  1. ↑ "All-Time Players". National Football league. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  2. 1 2 "Runts in the Big League". Time. 1977-12-05. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  3. ↑ "R-MC Football All-Americans". Randolph-Macon College. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  4. ↑ "Howard Stevens". Pro Player Connect. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  5. ↑ "Athletic Hall of Fame". University of Louisville. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  6. ↑ "All-Americans". University of Louisville. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  7. ↑ "University of Louisville Football Post-Game Notes". University of Louisville. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  8. ↑ "Who is the shortest NFL player?". NokiaSugarbowl. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  9. ↑ "Howard Stevens". Sports Reference.com. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  10. ↑ "1974 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". ProFootball References.com. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
  11. ↑ "Stevens: Career Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
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