Jack Francis "Junior" Stephens (May 18, 1933 – August 31, 2011) was an American
basketball player. He played one season in the
National Basketball Association (NBA).
Stephens, a guard from
Mount Carmel High School in
Chicago, played college basketball at the
University of Notre Dame from 1951 to 1955. He was a standout for the Irish, raising his scoring average each year. In his senior season of
1954–55, Stephens averaged 20.9 points per game and was named an
All-American by the
United Press International (third team) and
Collier's
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened in 1905 to ''Collie ...
(second team).
He tied the Irish single-game scoring record with 35 points against Marquette in his final career game for Notre Dame. Stephens served as captain of the '54–55 Irish. Stephens played on Irish teams that finished 19–5 and 22–3 and qualified for the NCAA Championships his sophomore and junior years, respectively. In 1953 he was named to the NCAA All-Mideast Regional team.
Stephens also played one year of football for the Irish at halfback. After graduation, Stephens was drafted by the
St. Louis Hawks in the second round (7th pick overall) of the
1955 NBA draft. He played one season for the Hawks, averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 72 appearances.
Stephens later served as President of the
University of Notre Dame Monogram Club from 1993 to 1994. On November 4, 2004, Stephens was named to the Irish All-Century Team.
Jack Stephens died on August 31, 2011, in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
.
References
External links
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1933 births
2011 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
Basketball players from Chicago
Forwards (basketball)
Guards (basketball)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players
St. Louis Hawks draft picks
St. Louis Hawks players
American men's basketball players
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