Milt Stegall facts for kids
Stegall in 2022
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| No. 84, 85 | |||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver Slotback |
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| Born: | January 25, 1970 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 184 lb (83 kg) | ||||||
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| High school: | Roger Bacon (St. Bernard, Ohio) |
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| College: | Miami (OH) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1992 | ||||||
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| Player stats at CFL.ca (archive) | |||||||
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Canadian Football Hall of Fame
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Milton Eugene Stegall (born January 25, 1970) is a former professional gridiron football player. He played for 17 years in total. Three of those years were in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent 14 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Milt Stegall was an amazing receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL. He played from 1995 to 2008. When he retired, he held many major CFL records. These included most career receiving yards. He still holds the record for career receiving touchdowns and most touchdowns scored. In 2012, he was chosen for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Today, he works as an analyst on the CFL on TSN TV show.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Beginnings
Milt Stegall was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the fifth of five children. He went to Roger Bacon High School. There, he was an All-State football player. He also played All-City basketball. In his senior year, he even qualified for the state track meet.
Stegall started playing football when he was just 4 years old. He played for a local youth football team. Between the ages of 8 and 10, he scored 87 touchdowns as a running back. This record is still held today!
College Football Journey
Stegall attended Miami University from 1988 to 1991. He played football for four years there. As a wide receiver, he caught 106 passes for 1,581 yards. He also scored eight touchdowns.
He was very fast and also competed on Miami's track and field team. He has the 3rd fastest 100-meter dash time (10.44 seconds) and the 5th fastest 200-meter dash time (21.24 seconds) in Miami's history. His speed also made him a great kick returner. He set a school record with 1,377 kick return yards. This record lasted until 2002.
Playing in the NFL
After college, Stegall signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He played 21 games over three seasons. During this time, he had four catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. He mostly played as a kick returner, where he gained 446 yards. He also made five tackles on special teams.
In 1995, he signed with the Green Bay Packers. However, he had a serious knee injury during training camp. This led to him being released from the team.
Becoming a CFL Star
In 1995, Stegall decided to play in the Canadian Football League. He joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played the last six games of the 1995 CFL season. He had 469 receiving yards and returned two punts, one for 80 yards. In his first full season in 1996, he gained 613 receiving yards and scored 6 touchdowns.
All-Star Seasons
Stegall started as a wide receiver and slotback. He became an All-Star in the 1997 CFL season with 1,616 receiving yards. He then mainly played as a slotback. In the CFL, slotbacks can get a running start before the play. This helped Stegall use his amazing speed to get past defenders.
He earned three more All-Star selections as a slotback. His best season was in 2002. He led the CFL in many categories, including:
- Receptions (106)
- Receiving yards (1,896)
- Touchdowns (23)
- Receiving touchdowns (23)
He set new league records for touchdowns and receiving touchdowns in a single season. Because of this incredible year, he was named the CFL Most Outstanding Player.
Continued Excellence and Records
Stegall continued to play exceptionally well for the Blue Bombers. Throughout his career, he led the CFL in receptions once. He led the league in receiving yards twice. He also led the league in touchdown receptions five times.
In 2005, at age 35, some people thought his performance might decline. But he proved them wrong and earned his fifth All-Star selection. Even with many changes in coaches, Stegall remained a strong player for the Blue Bombers. He was named to the All-Time 75th Anniversary Team.
In 2006, Stegall had another successful season. On July 27, 2007, he became the CFL's all-time touchdown leader. He scored his 138th touchdown, passing Mike Pringle and George Reed. He retired in 2009 with 147 career touchdowns.
On September 12, 2008, Stegall became the CFL's all-time leader in career receiving yards. He passed Allen Pitts with a 92-yard touchdown catch. His career total was 15,153 yards. On June 29, 2012, Geroy Simon passed him, making Stegall second in career receiving yards.
Even though Stegall had amazing numbers and is one of the greatest receivers in CFL history, he never won the Grey Cup. He played in the Grey Cup game twice but his team lost both times.
Milt Stegall officially retired from professional football on February 18, 2009.
Media and Community Role
Stegall is very popular among the media and fans. His teammates often praised his hard work, personality, and leadership.
In June 2009, Stegall joined TSN as an analyst for their CFL broadcasts. He is still a well-known member of the CFL analyst team on CFL on TSN.
Notable Achievements and Honors
- On July 20, 2006, Milt Stegall scored a 100-yard touchdown with no time left. This play led the Blue Bombers to a 25–22 victory. Fans called it the "Miracle Catch." In that game, Stegall had 254 receiving yards, one of his best performances ever.
- On June 28, 2007, he scored a game-tying touchdown against the Edmonton Eskimos. This tied the all-time touchdown record with George Reed and Mike Pringle at 137 touchdowns.
- On August 24, 2007, the leader of Manitoba honored Stegall with the Order of the Buffalo Hunt. The mayor of Winnipeg also gave him the key to the city. A street in Winnipeg, near the former Canad Inns Stadium, was renamed Milt Stegall Drive in his honor.
- On August 3, 2016, Stegall was inducted into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Ring of Honor.
- The Manitoba Foundation for Sports gives scholarships to young athletes in his name. These are called the MFFS Milt Stegall Scholarships.
CFL Records Held
- Most Touchdowns in a career – 147
- Most Touchdown receptions in a career – 144
- Most Touchdowns in one season – 23 (2002)
- Most Touchdown receptions in one season – 23 (2002)
- Most yards per catch in a season – 26.5 (1997)
- Most yards in one season by a Bombers receiver – 1,862 (2002)
- Most 1000+ yard receiving seasons by a Bombers receiver – 10
- Most career yards receiving by a Bombers receiver – 15,153
- CFL Most Outstanding Player – 2002
- Named as receiver in top passing team in CFL history with Khari Jones
- In 2006, he was named 15th on the CFL's Top 50 players of the modern era by TSN.
