Larry Stephens (football player)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Larry Stephens (football player) | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | September 24, 1938 |
| Place of birth: | Buda, TX |
| Career information | |
| Position(s): | Defensive Tackle Defensive End |
| College: | Texas |
| NFL Draft: | 1960 / Round: 2 / Pick 18 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1960-1961 1962 1963-1967 |
Cleveland Browns Los Angeles Rams Dallas Cowboys |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Lawrence Clifton Stephens (born September 24, 1938) was an American football player who played eight seasons in the NFL.
He was a 1956 Graduate of Angleton High School. In his senior year he was named High School All-American in football. He was an outstanding all-around athlete who also excelled in basketball, baseball, and track
He was widely recruited and committed to play football at the University of Texas which was then coached by Darrel Royal. He was a key contributor to the Longhorn's successes in the late 50s which included an SWC Championship and appearances in both the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl. In his senior year he was named to the All-Southwest Conference team. While at Texas he also pitched for the Longhorn baseball team.
The Cleveland Browns selected him as 18th player overall in the NFL draft of 1960. He played for the Browns in 1960 and 1961. While with the Browns he scored his only NFL touchdown on a 38 year interception return against the Dallas Cowboys.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for the 1962 season where he started as defensive tackle alongside NFL notables Merlin Olson, Lamar Lundy, and Deacon Jones.
In 1963 he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys where he played defensive end for the original Doomsday Defense. He was a starter from 1963 through 1966 when he was slowed by a knee injury. While he was with the Cowboys they made the transition from mediocrity to championship contention. He played in two NFL championship games including the 1967 Ice Bowl against the Green Bay Packers.
Larry Stephens passed away in 1998.
