Larry Stephens (football player)

NFL player
Name=Larry Stephens


DateOfBirth=Birth date and age|1938|9|24|mf=y
Birthplace=Buda, Texas
College=Texas
Position=Defensive tackle
Defensive end
DraftedYear=1960
DraftedRound=2
DraftedPick=18
ProBowls=
Awards=
years=1960-1961
1962
1963-1967
teams=Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams
Dallas Cowboys
DatabaseFootball=STEPHLAR01

Lawrence Clifton Stephens (born September 24, 1938) was an American football defensive lineman who played eight seasons in the National Football League.

Early years

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 Darrell Royal. He was a key contributor to the Longhorn's successes in the late 1950s 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 Texas Longhorns baseball team.

Professional career

The Cleveland Browns selected him as 18th player overall in the 1960 NFL Draft. He played for the Browns in 1960 and 1961. While with the Browns he scored his only NFL touchdown on a 38 yard 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 1998Fact|date=June 2008.

External links

* [http://www.nfl.com/players/larrystephens/profile?id=STE405834 NFL.com player page]