Buddy Stephens
{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1966)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Buddy Stephens
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = East Mississippi
| current_conference = MACJC
| current_record = 148–28
| contract =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|9|6}}
| birth_place = Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
| death_date =
| alma_mater =
| player_years1 = 1986–1987
| player_team1 = Pearl River
| player_years2 = 1988–1989
| player_team2 = Delta State
| player_positions = Center
| coach_years1 = 2001–2007
| coach_team1 = Pearl River (assistant)
| coach_years2 = 2008–present
| coach_team2 = East Mississippi
| overall_record = 148–28
| bowl_record = 7–0
| tournament_record =
| championships = 5 NJCAA National (2011, 2013–2014, 2017–2018)
9 MACJC/MACCC (2009, 2011, 2013–2014, 2016–2018, 2022–2023)
13 MACJC/MACCC North Division (2008–2009, 2011–2019, 2021, 2023)
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Wofford Oran "Buddy" Stephens Jr. is an American junior college football coach. He is the head football coach at East Mississippi Community College,{{cite web|url=http://www.emccathletics.com/sports/fball/coaches/stephens_buddy?view=bio|website=Buddy Stephens|publisher=EMCC Athletics|title=East Mississippi Athletics}} where he has won five NJCAA National Football Championships and coached future National Football League (NFL) players such as Chad Kelly, Jarran Reed and Dakota Allen.
Stephens is known as the head coach from the first two seasons of the Netflix series Last Chance U. He has won more games at EMCC than any other coach in history.
Stephens played college football for Pearl River and Delta State, both as a center and guard.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/hattiesburg-american/164052582/|title=Dozen Wildcat gridders head for major colleges|work=Hattiesburg American|date=February 8, 1988|access-date=January 26, 2025|page=3B|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-clarksdale-press-register/164052705/|title=Delta State could be better|work=The Clarksdale Press Register|date=August 24, 1989|access-date=January 26, 2025|page=13C|via=Newspapers.com}} After serving as an assistant football and girls' soccer coach at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he was hired at Pearl River in 2001.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-poplarville-democrat-buddy-stephens/149894893/|title=Architects center renovation presented|work=The Poplarville Democrat|date=March 1, 2001|access-date=January 26, 2025|page=7|via=Newspapers.com}}
Head coaching record
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = NJCAA }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = East Mississippi Lions
| conf = Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges / Community Colleges Conference
| startyear = 2008
| endyear =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = division
| year = 2008
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2009
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 11–1
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = Mississippi Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 4
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2010
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 5–5
| conference = 4–2
| confstanding = 2nd (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = national
| year = 2011
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 12–0
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = El Toro Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 1
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = division
| year = 2012
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 8–2
| conference = 5–1
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 15
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = national
| year = 2013
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 12–0
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = Mississippi Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 1
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = national
| year = 2014
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 12–0
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = Mississippi Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 1
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = division
| year = 2015
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 8–1
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 7
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2016
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 11–1
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = Mississippi Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 2
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = national
| year = 2017
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 11–1
| conference = 8–1
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = Mississippi Bowl
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 1
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = national
| year = 2018
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 12–0
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = NJCAA championship game
| bowloutcome = W
| ranking = 1
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = division
| year = 2019
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 6–4
| conference = 4–2
| confstanding = T–1st (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 14
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2020–21
| name = No team—COVID-19
| overall =
| conference =
| confstanding =
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking =
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = division
| year = 2021
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 9–1
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 6
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2022
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 8–3
| conference = 4–2
| confstanding = 2nd (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 6
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 2023
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 10–3
| conference = 6–0
| confstanding = 1st (North)
| bowlname = NJCAA championship game
| bowloutcome = L
| ranking = 2
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2024
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 5–4
| conference = 4–2
| confstanding = T–2nd (North)
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| ranking = 14
| ranking2 = no
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = East Mississippi
| overall = 148–28
| confrecord = 89–10
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 148–28
| bowls = no
| polltype = Rankings from NJCAA poll
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.emccathletics.com/sports/fball/coaches/stephens_buddy?view=bio East Mississippi profile]
{{East Mississippi Lions football coach navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Buddy}}
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:American football offensive linemen
Category:Pearl River Wildcats football players
Category:Delta State Statesmen football players
Category:East Mississippi Lions football coaches
Category:Pearl River Wildcats football coaches
Category:Players of American football from Huntsville, Alabama
Category:Coaches of American football from Alabama
{{2000s-collegefootball-coach-stub}}