100 Greatest: No. 3 Player - Bradley Stephens

Three years before Bradley Stephens verbally committed to Texas A&M, the former McAllen Memorial standout running back faced a decision that could have completely changed his life.

Stephens was just as good, if not better, on the soccer field. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer development team and was offered an opportunity to advance his skills by moving to Florida just before his freshman year at Memorial.

"That was his decision," said Stephens' father, Craig. "We let him make it on his own. We just told him that we would support him with whatever he decides."

Once he decided on football, there was no stopping him. When his high school career ended, Bradley had rushed for 7,803 yards, the second-most in the state by a Class 5A rusher behind Cedric Benson.

At the time, Bradley's 2,622 yards in 10 games in 2005 was a Rio Grande Valley single-season record. His 113 career touchdowns also are a Valley record, and he rushed for more than 2,500 yards during his senior season.

The impressive numbers paved the way for him to be named the third-best player to compete in deep South Texas.
Before the stout stat line and before rivals.com was touting him as one of the top high school running backs in the nation, however, he was a highly-ranked soccer player.

"My life would have been completely different if I focused on soccer," Bradley said. "Everything would have been different. Even my body structure would have been different."

Stephens was admittedly taken aback with any mention of him being of the Valley's greatest ever.

 "To be named to something like that, it couldn't have been me that really did it," Bradley said. "The players on my team should be praised more so than me, because without them I wouldn't have been able to get all the yards or do what I did.

"I have to thank my coach, Bill Littleton, for taking me up as a freshman and giving me the right system to be successful."
When Bradley thinks about his high school career, he is somewhat surprised by how well he did.

"I never expected to do as well as I did," Stephens said. "I am a very humble person, so it's hard for me to say that I expected to get all those yards.

"I worked my butt off during the summer, and I set goals to get that type of yardage."

Bradley redshirted for the Aggies last season and could see playing time this season if he continues to impress first-year coach Mike Sherman, who has coached the NFL's Green Bay Packers and more recently was an assistant head coach/offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans.

Craig said Sherman told him he is impressed with Bradley's field vision, for which Craig credits soccer.

"When Bradley was 4 or 5 playing soccer, he would just run up the field and score every time he had the ball," Craig said. "It was embarrassing because he wouldn't let the other kids score. But once he learned how to pass the ball it helped him with his vision.
"One of the first things I noticed when he started playing football was how well he sees the field. He sees holes that I think a lot of players wouldn't see."

If Bradley does well at Texas A&M, there is hope he will one day play in the NFL. It is not the type of football he envisioned a few years ago, but his decision seems to be working out.

"He played soccer when he first came and was on the track team," Littleton said. "It was kind of too much for him to do all three. It's a good thing he choose football, because he could make a lot more money doing that."

WHY THEY VOTED

During a four-year career for the McAllen Memorial's Mustangs, Bradley Stephens picked up pretty much every accolade possible. He was a two-time all-state selection, and was named an All-American by Parade, USA Today, Super Prep and Prep Star.

During the 2006 season, Stephens rushed for 1,875 yards and 23 touchdowns, two totals which led District 30-5A. He left the Rio Grande Valley as the all-time leading rusher, compiling 7,803 yards.

He moved to Texas A&M, where he sat out the 2007 campaign as a redshirt freshman.

THE PLAYERS
1: TBA
AUG. 24

2: TBA
AUG. 23

3: BRADLEY STEPHENS
McAllen memorial

4: Bobby Lackey
Weslaco High

5: Johnnie Jackson
Harlingen High

6: Norm Evans
Donna

7: Lupe Rodriguez
Mission High

8: Nati Valdez
Mission High

9: jim Helms
San Benito

10: Jim Hudson
La Feria

11: Maurice Hunter
Harlingen High

12: George Strohmeyer
McAllen High

13: Roberto Garza
Rio Hondo

14: Mishak Rivas
Weslaco High

15: Tony Ellis
Brownsville Hanna

16: Bobby Ply
Mission High

17: Fred Edwards
Donna

18: Willie Crafts
Brownsville High

19: Jamaar Taylor
Mission High

20: Frank Hernandez
Mission High

21: Carlos Esquivel
Edinburg High

22: Jim Norris
Mercedes

23: Abel Gonzalez
Rio Grande City

24: John Mims
Mission High

25: Leo Araguz
Harlingen High

26: Juan Castillo
Port Isabel

27: Tommy Cox
La Feria

28: Jimmy Lawrence
Harlingen High

29: Luz Pedraza
Donna

30: Billy Garza
Brownsville Porter

31: Poppy Rodriguez
PSJA High

32: Jeremy Springer
Los Fresnos

33: Shon Flores
Port Isabel

34: Phil Hetrick
PSJA High

35: Joe Marichalar
Edcouch-Elsa

36: Alfredo Garza
Port Isabel

37: Charles LeGrange
Rio Grande City

38: Alfredo Lugo
Donna

(tie): Steve Alaniz
Edinburg High

40: Matt Gorges
Harlingen High

41: Justin Springer
Los Fresnos

(tie): Eliseo Pompa
Mission High

43: Donald Guillot
Port Isabel

44: Travis Sanders
Port Isabel

45: Gerald Lambert
McAllen High

(tie): Gonzalo Garcia
Brownsville High

(tie): John Lerma
Rio Grande City

48: Manny Gomez
Harlingen High

49: Donny Martin
Port Isabel

50: Robert Cortez
San Benito