Sidelines: Stephens was all heart

Don Cantrell

A national columnist recently made it clear that he thought lowly

of cowards like the terrorists who brought destruction to the United

States. All people of good conscience would wholeheartedly agree.

Relative to making a comparison in war, the columnist chose to make a

comparison to the Japanese suicidal kamikaze pilots in World War II. The

drift was, the writer saw them as brave fellows who came out in higher

stature than today’s terrorists.

Unfortunately, the writer despite his many years in journalism, must

know little of kamikaze history.

Edward C. Stephens, a Daily Pilot Hall of Famer, recalled ample facts

from his Navy days as a gunnery officer. He suffered wounds once after a

kamikaze pilot tore into his ship off Okinawa.

Stephens, a running guard for the legendary fullback Harold Sheflin in

1941, came to learn, in good time, that the Japanese pilots of that time

period were very young and inexperienced.

It was doubtful the Japanese pilots were trusted by their own

superiors, Naval investigating teams came to discover. Hence, their feet

were chained to the floor before take-off and their plane fuel was very

limited.

They really had no choice except to crash and perish.

The world, under that light, will never know if bravery was in their

make-up. It would appear that there’s little difference with either

terrorist. They just did what they were told.

Stephens, who earned the Purple Heart, was the student body president

at Newport Harbor High in 1941-42 and is remembered as one of the top

linemen for the Tars under Coach Wendell Pickens during the ’41 season.

Like many veterans, Stephens was called back by the Navy when the

Korean War was waged. He eventually became a submarine captain.

Stephens, whose late mother owned the landmark Yellow Cabins in

Balboa, also grew up serving as a Newport lifeguard and as a member of

the Newport volunteer fire department.

After WWII, he entered Occidental College in Los Angeles and

subsequently joined the swim team. One of his teammates was Olympic

diving star Sammy Lee.

Stephens later worked as a college professor for many years, starting

at Northwestern, then shifting to Syracuse University after he was

offered a lucrative position. He once served as a dean of the

communications department. He wrote six novels and gained recognition for

his literary efforts. Even today, his work is sometimes seen in the New

York Times.

One of the remarkable yarns about Newport football in the old days was

the ’41 grid team. In the spring of ‘41, long before the season opened,

it was obvious to Coach Pickens that he would only have 13 players and

little projection of any magic coming his way. He chose to visit Bee team

players and draw four of them to the varsity.

Before spring training was over, he had drawn four outstanding players

to the varsity, including guard Stephens, quarterback Johnny Ikeda, guard

“Chili” Chaplin and guard George Matoba. It is doubtful any of them

weighed more than 145 pounds. But they were stout, nonetheless.

On a totally different subject, Salty Green, Class of ’54 at Newport,

never came to know Stephens, but grew up near his residence in central

Balboa. In time, he shifted to the great Northwest, still loving

football.

The University of Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers are

usually bolstered to the max by Green, a ’53 member of the Harbor High

grid team, but one incident failed to draw any boost from him before the

current football season started.

Some well-heeled supporters of Oregon came together and gathered

$250,000 for a 12-story poster of Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington on a

building in Times Square.

“The football scene up in the Northwest has been hectic with all the

Heisman talk around our two Oregon candidates, Harrington and (Oregon

State running back) Kenny Simonton,” said Green, who also responded to

some of the reaction of the large Harrington poster. “I can see why some

fans blew a fuse. I hate all this media hype to promote athletes. I think

(the athletes) should make their own statement on the field, as Simonton

said.”

Simonton is a valuable running back.

Green will take on another task in October with two of his old Newport

friends, Tom Christensen and Jay Carlisle. They plan to be in attendance

in South Bend, Ind. to see the USC Trojans play Notre Dame.

“It has always been one of my dreams to see a game there,” Green said.

“As a kid growing up, listening to Bill Stern, Ted Husing and Harry

Wismer describe college football, I dreamed of going one day to Yankee

Stadium, the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame. This game will complete the trio

of legendary stadiums I have visited.”