George Kay Stephenson (born December 17, 1944) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and coach, whose latter career has seen him work in four different leagues. Stephenson played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. He finished his playing career in 1974 in the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 in sports, 1974 and most of its second in 1975 in sports, 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a w ...

with the Jacksonville Sharks before entering the coaching ranks.

Early life

Stephenson was born in

DeFuniak Springs, Florida DeFuniak Springs ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walton County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,919 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, up from 5,177 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview, Florida, Cr ...

, in 1944, and grew up in nearby

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

. He attended

Pensacola High School Pensacola High School is a secondary school located near downtown Pensacola, Florida, United States. The school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001 and graduated its 100th class of seniors in 2005; however, the school has not always been ...

, and he earned All-State accolades as a

. He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

, where he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators teams from

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011. His arrival on the Florida campus coincided with that of another standout recruit,

Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often referred to by his nicknam ...

, who became the starting quarterback in 1964, and who won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

in 1966. Stephenson remained a backup. Stephenson graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1967.

Professional football coaching career

After serving as a quarterbacks coach the previous season, Stephenson succeeded Chuck Knox as

head coach on February 3, 1983.At a Glance: 1983
''Relentless: The Hard-Hitting History of Buffalo Bills Football'', Sal Maiorana, 1994 Stephenson was reportedly surprised to get the job, claiming that Bills owner Ralph Wilson "never explained his reasons for selecting me." Under Stephenson, the Bills went 8–8 in 1983,1983 Buffalo Bills
, History of Pro Football in Western New York 2–14 in 1984, and after they lost their first four games in 1985, Stephenson was replaced by Hank Bullough. Perhaps the most lasting impression that Stephenson left on the Bills was changing their helmet color from white to red prior to the 1984 season, insisting that the change would aid Buffalo quarterbacks in finding receivers downfield. At the time, three of the Bills' four division rivals, the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, and

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, wore white helmets. The gambit didn't work as interceptions actually increased the subsequent season.Fun and Fashion on the Gridiron
Paul Lukas, ESPN.com Page 2 Stephenson also coached in the World League where he led the Sacramento Surge to the 1992

World Bowl The World Bowl was the annual American football championship game of the World League of American Football, later called NFL Europe. The World Bowl was played each year from 1991 to 2007 (except 1993 and 1994). The first World Bowl was played ...

championship, and in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

he coached the San Antonio Texans and the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

Head coaching record

NFL

WLAF

CFL

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Kay 1944 births Living people American football quarterbacks American Football League players Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Buffalo Bills players Buffalo Bills coaches Buffalo Bills head coaches Edmonton Elks coaches Florida Gators football players Los Angeles Rams coaches Rice Owls football coaches Sacramento Gold Miners Sacramento Surge coaches San Antonio Texans coaches San Diego Chargers players Jacksonville Sharks (WFL) players People from DeFuniak Springs, Florida Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida

Early life

Professional football coaching career

Head coaching record

NFL

WLAF

CFL

See also

References