Ben Stevenson

Bio

Big Ben Stevenson was discovered one day while working on a Kansas farm. Tuskegee 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 teams points in a 20-16 victory. Over his eight-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 HBCU 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.

Career Highlights

• 1930 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1929 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1928 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1927 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1926 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1925 First Team All-America (HBCU)
• 1924 First Team All-America (HBCU)