Hall of Fame
Offensive right guard
USF Career Years: 1948-1952
Louis Stephens was nicknamed “Red,” and was born May 10, 1930 in Denver, CO and attended Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, CA. He played college football at USF from 1948-1952, despite having had no football experience in high school. At 6’ 0” and 230 lbs., he played offense as a right guard, and was known for his tenacity. He was also Secretary of the Student Body his senior year.
Under Head Coach Joe Kuharich, the Dons went undefeated at 9-0 in the 1951 season. With two African-American players on the team Burl Toler and Ollie Matson, they were not invited to any postseason bowl games. The owner of the Gator Bowl Sam Wolfson had made an agreement with the Orange and Sugar Bowls to omit teams with black players. When the Orange Bowl extended an invitation to them on the condition that the two African-American players be excluded, the team unanimously declined and from then on they were called the “undefeated, untied, and uninvited.” Although the Dons had been denied a bowl berth, the entire team was recognized at the 2008 Fiesta Bowl at long last making an appearance in a bowl game.
Unfortunately, without postseason funding, USF was forced to shut down its football program the following year. Attendance at the Kezar Stadium games had declined 80% since the arrival of the 49ers in 1946. The squad featured nine future NFL players, including Pro Football Hall of Fame members Matson, Marchetti, and St.Clair, and five earned Pro Bowl selections at some point in their career. The team’s Sports Information Director, Pete Rozelle, served as NFL Commissioner for 29 years.
He was drafted in the 23rd round (267th pick overall) of the 1952 NFL draft by the Chicago Cardinals, but played for the Washington Redskins from 1955 to 1960. He was named to the Associated Press All-Pro NFL in 1955, Sporting News All-NFL in 1956, and All-Pro Honorable Mention each season.
After his professional football career, he was an offensive line coach at Notre Dame from 1960 to 1963, and then worked as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1963 to 1966. Afterwards, he settled in Placitas, NM and became an insurance agent.
