Sanford Emory Stephens II was an American college football player and civic leader.
18 Facts About Sandy Stephens
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Sandy Stephens was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area city of Uniontown, Pennsylvania and is best known for his career as a college football quarterback at the University of Minnesota, where he became one of the first African-American quarterbacks in major college football and the first African American to be named an All-American at quarterback.
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Sandy Stephens was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
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Sandy Stephens was the first black man to play quarterback at the University of Minnesota and remains the only quarterback to take the Gophers to the Rose Bowl.
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Sandy Stephens was one of the first "National Recruits" for the University of Minnesota, along with Judge Dickson and Bill Munsey.
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Sandy Stephens became the first African-American major-college All-American quarterback and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
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In 1961, Sandy Stephens received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Conference.
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Sandy Stephens was a member of The Pigskin Club of Washington, DC National Intercollegiate All-American Football Players Honor Roll.
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Sandy Stephens was a second-round NFL draft choice of the Cleveland Browns and the fifth overall selection in the AFL draft by the New York Titans.
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Sandy Stephens caught 12 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown.
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Sandy Stephens was used as an occasional kicker, making 12 out of 19 extra points and 4 out of 8 field goals, with three punts for a 20-yard average.
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Two years after the accident Sandy Stephens signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a fullback.
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Sandy Stephens was willing to play any of the back positions and continued to dream of playing as a quarterback in the NFL, but to no avail.
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Sandy Stephens was found dead at his Bloomington, Minnesota apartment by a relative.
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Thirty years after he left football, Sandy Stephens was named to the University of Minnesota All Century Team, the Star Tribune 100 All-Century Top Sports Figures, and awarded NCAA Legends status.
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Sandy Stephens was inducted into the University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame, the Western Pennsylvania All Sports Hall of Fame and he was nominated for induction into the National and College Football Foundation Hall of Fame.
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On May 17,2011, Sandy Stephens was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 16-member Class of 2011.
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Sandy Stephens is the 22nd Gopher to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame and the fourth from the 1960 National Championship team.