Howard Stevens

Howard started his college career at Randolph-Macon College, where he was named All-American in 1968 (honorable mention) and 1969 (second team). On a team that won the Mason–Dixon Conference championship with a 9–0–0 record in his freshman year, he was the league Most Valuable Player as the NCAA College Division leader in scoring and rushing with 142 points and 1,468 yards respectively.

He transferred to the University of Louisville where he earned a B.A. in Psychology.  Howard played only two seasons for Louisville but was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame. In 1972, he was named to the Associated Press Second All-American Team. 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.

In the NFL, Howard played for the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Colts. At 5’5” he was one of the smallest players ever to play in the NFL and was the smallest during his 5 years in the league. He played two years for the Saints and lead the NFL in 1974 in kick-off and punt returns. In 1975, he was picked up by the Baltimore Colts where he was used exclusively as a kick-off and punt returner. As a kick returner he ran for 2336 yards on 103 kickoff returns and 163 punts for 1,559 yards.