Bill Stephens

1932 - 2016

Bill Stephens, 83, of Conway, the long-time athletic director at the University of Central Arkansas and a State Representative for 22 years, died Monday, April 4, 2016.
Stephens was born in Conway on Aug. 17, 1932, to the late Earl and Edna Stephens. He attended Conway Public Schools through third grade, when his family moved to Kansas City, Mo.; they returned to Conway when he was in seventh grade.
From Conway High, he entered Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA), where he majored in kinesiology and minored in history. At ASTC, he played basketball for one year and football for three years and ran track for four. Initially, he came to ASTC on a basketball scholarship but later switched that to football.
At ASTC, Stephens ran the high and low hurdles, earning all-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference honors, winning the conference title in both events in 1953, and he ran in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Meet in 1954. After graduation in 1955, he took his first coaching job at Wynne, where he coached football and basketball. After one year, he was hired at Carlisle, where he coached football and track for five years. As head football coach, he led the Bison to four district championships and the 1960 state title.
In 1961, Stephens went to Paragould as head football coach. After a year there, he moved to Conway, where he was head junior high and assistant high school coach. In 1962, as an assistant under Rex Lovell, he helped the Wampus Cats to an undefeated state championship. Stephens was defensive coordinator of what was considered the best high school defense in the state. In 1965, he was named head football coach and athletic director at Conway.
In 1967, Stephens returned to his college alma mater as assistant football coach and defensive coordinator under Raymond Bright. In '72, he became head track coach, leading the Bears to three AIC titles and coaching 12 All-Americans. Stephens was named NAIA District 17 and Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year twice.
In 1981, he accepted the position of co-athletic director at UCA and was in charge of the Purple Circle Club and of fundraising activities. In '87, he was named athletic director.
Stephens retired in 1999, having been associated with UCA across five decades. He retired with the longest tenure of any employee in the history of the UCA athletic department. His service was acknowledged by the naming of the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex in his honor in 2010.
He was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2006. He and his brother Ken were honored with the Elijah Pitts Award for Career Athletic Achievement by the Conway Athletic Awards Commission for 2014.
Stephens was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Allen Stephens. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Geneva; son Mark and his wife Lisa of Conway; daughters Sonya Stephens and Stephanie Stephens of Conway; granddaughters Rebecca Ngo of New Jersey, Kristen Baldwin (Tommy) of Goodyear, Ariz.; and Kelli Vasquez (Chris) of Conway; and four great-grandchildren, Joey Baldwin, Rosalie Baldwin, Annika Ngo and Calvin Vasquez; brother, Ken Stephens (Donna) of Conway; sister, Edna Earl Williams of Bryant; and a host of nephews, nieces and friends.
Funeral services will be at Roller McNutt Funeral Home in Conway at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 7, with burial to follow at Oak Grove Cemetery in Conway. Pallbearers will include his nephews. Honorary pallbearers will include John Duke, Arvil Burks, Jim Stone, Don Bone, James Clark, Fay Pew, Bill Pate, Richard Martin and all former players. Memorials may be made to the charity of the donor's choice. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 6.
Online guestbook available at www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/conway.