Jerry Stephens†
Inducted: 1990
Hometown: USA
Best Known for: Officiating – Football
After an illustrious career, Stephens became the third Southwest Conference official with local ties and a great résumé to be inducted into the RGV Sports Hall of Fame, joining C.W. “Napper” Davis and C.L. “Smokey” Boyle.
Stephens worked the game from 1951 to 1973, becoming a regular on the SWC scene in the conference's heyday. Along the way, he worked some high-profile games: the 1957 Sugar Bowl, the Cotton and Bluebonnet bowls in 1963, the Bluebonnet in 1968, and Cotton Bowls in 1966 and 1973.
In a parallel career in the high school ranks, Stephens officiated three state championship games, including the storied 1961 Class 2A contest in which Donna brought the Valley its only public-school state crown with a 28-21 win over Quanah.
Along with Davis and Boyle, this veteran official set the standard for future generations of local officials, with a 23-year run on the football field.