| No. 59 Retired | |
| Linebacker | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: December 23, 1969 | |
| Place of birth: Miami, Florida | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: West Virginia | |
| NFL Draft: 1992 / Round: 10 / Pick: 253 | |
| Debuted in 1992 for the Indianapolis Colts | |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of 1997 | |
| Games played | 83 |
| Games started | 47 |
| Tackles | 233 |
| Sacks | 3.0 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Fumble recoveries | 6 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
Stephen Mitchell "Steve" Grant (born December 23, 1969 in Miami, Florida) is a former American football linebacker for the West Virginia Mountaineers and Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. Grant is currently the chaplin for the Texas Tech University football program in Lubbock, Texas.
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Steve Grant enrolled at West Virginia University in 1988. During his freshman season, Grant was part of one of the greatest linebacking corps in school history, consisting of Chris Haering, Renaldo Turnbull, Lonnie Brockman, and Theron Ellis. Grant saw considerable playing time, as he recorded 55 tackles, one forced fumble, and a tackle for a loss. The Mountaineers went undefeated and traveled to the national championship, but lost to Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Grant's most memorable moment of the season was in the 14-10 victory over Maryland. The Terrapins had the ball on the West Virginia three-yard line with under four minutes left. After three downs, the Terps went for it on fourth down. Terrapin quarterback Neil O'Donnell threw a pass out in the flat to Ricky Johnson, who had previously scored from 46-yards out. Grant, however, knocked Johnson out of bounds on the one-yard line to save the undefeated season and the victory for the Mountaineers.
In his sophomore season, 1989, Grant recorded 102 tackles and 5 pass break-ups. In 1990, Grant's junior season, he led the defensive squad for the Mountaineers. By the time of the Boston College game on October 27, 1990, Grant already had 70 tackles, an interception, two pass deflections, and two tackles for a loss. Grant finished the season with 141 tackles, two interceptions, four tackles for a loss, and two sacks. Grant was named the team's MVP.
In his final season of 1991, Grant recorded a career-high 147 tackles. He also had two forced fumbles, five pass break-ups, two sacks, and eight tackles for a loss. Grant was named team MVP for the second consecutive season in school history. Grant finished the season in the annual Blue-Gray game with 21 tackles.
Steve Grant is often considered one of the greatest linebackers in school history, along with greats such as Sam Huff. Grant totaled 445 tackles in his career, one of the top statistics in school history. Grant was an All-East and All-Big East linebacker during his tenure.
Grant was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the 1992 NFL Draft and briefly played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997. Grant was the Colt's Hard Nose Player of the Year in 1994, when he recorded a fumble recovery. In 1995, Grant started all 16 games of the season and recorded his first career professional interception. Injuries ended Grant's career early in 1997 however, after spending six seasons in the NFL.
"I was stumbling through life, wondering who I was; trying to find myself through fame, money, power, women. It wasn't until I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that everything became clear, and I finally became who I was destined to be." - Reverse side of a football card he passes out at schools he speaks to.