Hall of Fame
Stephens played four years of basketball at EKU from 1958-63. Three of those seasons were spent under the tutelage of legendary EKU coach Paul McBrayer, while his senior year he played for Jim Baechtold. During his senior year, he averaged 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, was chosen the team’s most valuable player and named to an All-OVC team. Another highlight of his senior year came when he hit a 35-foot shot at the buzzer of the third overtime to defeat Wittenberg, the nation’s top-ranked small college power. Stephens was a member of two of the Maroons’ teams that had a 38-game home court winning streak in the Weaver Health Building. Called “Mr. Hustle” by sportswriters and fans, he led Eastern in playing time while finishing second on the team in field goal percentage. A scholar-athlete throughout his accomplished Eastern career, he is a member of EKU’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni. While working on his master’s degree at Eastern, he coached the Maroons’ freshmen team in 1964-65. From 1964-69, he served first as a second lieutenant and then a first lieutenant with the United States Army, serving in Korea, Homestead, Florida and Fort Bliss, Texas. While serving in Korea, he was captain of his brigade basketball team and was chosen as the first all-star from that team, averaging 28 points per game and leading that unit to the championship of all armed forces teams in Korea. He has since worked at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
