Jesuit Dallas Athletics

During his time at Jesuit, Stephens was a 10-time letter winner and a three-year starter for the football team. The offensive lineman was a member of the first Jesuit Dallas football team to compete in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) in 2004, a squad that finished 10-2 and clinched a share of the UIL District Championship. Overall, Stephens earned UIL All-District First Team honors in football during his illustrious career, but also was a three-time letter winner in track and field, adding letters in basketball and powerlifting.

Upon graduation, Stephens accepted a football scholarship to attend Iowa State University. A member of the Cyclone football program for all four years of his college career (2006-09), Stephens logged 36 consecutive starts beginning in his sophomore year, continuing until Oct. 31, 2009, when surgery forced him to miss Iowa State’s clash against Texas A&M.

A senior team captain, two-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and three-time Big-12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll pick, Stephens earned the Arthur Floyd Scott Award and the Ralph Aulmann Memorial Captain Award in 2009, earning recognition for being the most outstanding athlete in the Cyclone’s strength and conditioning program and for earning his senior captaincy. 

During his time in Ames, Iowa, Stephens played for three head coaches, including two seasons under the tutelage of Gene Chizik, who would later win a national championship at Auburn. In his senior year, Stephens and the Cyclones defeated Minnesota, 14-13, to secure Iowa State’s first bowl win in five seasons. To culminate his collegiate career, Stephens was selected to the 85th iteration of the East-West Shrine Game, the longest-running college all-star football game in the United States. 

On April 24, 2010, Stephens became the second Jesuit Dallas alumnus to ever be drafted to the National Football League when he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round of the draft. The only Iowa State Cyclone to be drafted that year, Stephens began his four-year career on the Bengals’ practice squad before making stops in Buffalo and Baltimore, ultimately earning a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2010.