Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1923-1930
Place of Birth: Smith Mills, MO
Date of Birth: Mar 20, 1906
Place of Death: Houston, TX
Date of Death: Nov 14, 1969
Jersey Number: 48
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210
High School: Liberty, MO (Garrison HS), Tuskegee, AL (Tuskegee Normal Industrial Institute)
"Big Ben" was discovered one day while working on a Kansas farm. Coach Cleve Abbott persuaded Stevenson to join him at Tuskegee that fall. His first years at Tuskegee were spent as a prep-schooler. This allowed Stevenson to play eight seasons for the Golden Tigers, a span where he suffered only two defeats. Ben combined speed (9.8 100-yard dash), strength and durability. He had the ability to out-run, over-power or elude tacklers. In his first season he scored on a combination of long runs and drop kicks. He also played defensive back, earning a reputation as one of the top pass thieves in the conference. The Tigers went 9-0 and claimed the first of six national championships. The following year they again were undefeated. In 1926, title aspirations came down to a game against Lincoln, where Stevenson came back from an injury to score all of his team's points in a 20-16 victory. Over his seven-year career, he scored 42 touchdowns on runs of 50 yards or more, and was named to seven consecutive Black College All-America teams. He was named to numerous Negro all-time All-America teams and was voted as the game's greatest all-around player. While at Tuskegee he studied under George Washington Carver, earning a Bachelors and later a Masters degree before beginning a coaching career on the collegiate and high school levels.
