Gill Anthony Stegall (April 30, 1961 – April 23, 1988) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

wide receiver and slotback who played one season in the United States Football League (USFL) for the

Denver Gold The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional American football, football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played the ...

, and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Montreal Alouettes. He also spent time in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, but did not play.

Early life and college football career

Stegall was born April 30, 1961, in

Searcy, Arkansas Searcy ( ) is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 23,767. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Arkansas State University from 1980 to 1982 and then transferred to

Harding University Harding University is a private university with its main campus in Searcy, Arkansas. It is the largest private university in Arkansas. Established in 1924, the institution offers undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional programs. The uni ...

in 1984, playing wide receiver for the

Bisons Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Amer ...

Professional football career

Stegall was an 11th round draft choice in 1985 by the

of the United States Football League (USFL), coached by Mouse Davis. Stegall set a professional football record for most catches in a game in May 1985, making 16 catches against the Los Angeles Express in a televised game. He had 32 catches for the season for 397 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1986, Stegall was briefly acquired by the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL, before the league folded. He then made a move to the Canadian Football League (CFL), signing with the Montreal Alouettes. Stegall had 13 receptions for 288 yards and one touchdown for the Alouettes. Stegall signed with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) in September 1987 as a replacement player, but did not play. He was signed by the

in February 1988. He died two months later from drowning while fishing with family members in the Little Red River in Arkansas, while saving his nephew who had fallen into the water.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stegall, Gill 1961 births 1988 deaths American football wide receivers Arkansas State Red Wolves football players Denver Gold players Detroit Lions players Montreal Alouettes players Harding Bisons football players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Tampa Bay Bandits players Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas Deaths by drowning in the United States National Football League replacement players