MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Tight end Nate Stephens, the second-leading pass catcher on Bobby Bowden's 1971 and 1972 West Virginia University football teams, died late last month.
 
The Farmington, West Virginia, native was a three-year letterman for the Mountaineers, catching 76 passes for 1,316 yards and six touchdowns.
 
His best season came in 1972 when he caught 36 passes for 577 yards and four touchdowns for the 8-4 Mountaineers, who lost to NC State in the Peach Bowl.
 
Stephens, who was really more of a wide receiver than a tight end, standing 6-feet-2 inches and weighing 205 pounds, was part of what was considered one of college football's fastest receiving corps in '72 that also included sprint champions Danny Buggs, Harry Blake and Marshall Mills.
 
Stephens, too, had a sprinting background as a state qualifier in the 440, hurdles, high jump and long jump. He was part of Nick Saban Sr.'s Pop Warner youth program in Farmington that also produced WVU standout running back Kerry Marbury, as well as Saban's son, Nick Jr., who has become a fairly well-known college football coach at Alabama.
 
Nate was also a standout basketball player at Farmington High where he earned Class AA all-state honors after averaging 25 points per game during his senior season in 1968. 
 
Stephens caught a career-best nine passes for 145 yards with one touchdown in West Virginia's 28-24 loss at Syracuse on Nov. 20, 1971, earning ECAC Player of the Week honors in the process.
 
A year later, he caught a 61-yard touchdown pass against the Orange in the Mountaineers' 43-12 victory to conclude the 1972 regular season. He also had outstanding performances in West Virginia's 20-10 win at Maryland in 1970 and a come-from-behind 28-24 win at William & Mary in 1972. In that game, Stephens' 64-yard touchdown catch and run on a pass thrown by quarterback Bernie Galiffa with 2:22 remaining was the deciding score.
 
A scholastic leader at WVU, the physical education major had lived and worked near Houston since 1978, retiring from Entergy Services, Inc. in 2016.
 
He is survived by his second wife, Sherry L. Freeney, three grown children and six grandchildren.
 
He would have turned 70 next month.