Joseph Paul Stepanek (born November 6, 1963) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the Waldorf Warriors in Iowa before transferring to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 1984.[1] He played for the Warriors from 1982 to 1983 and for the Golden Gophers from 1984 to 1985, lettering both years with the latter.[2]
| No. 73 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | November 6, 1963 Tama, Iowa, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 268 lb (122 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Regis | ||||
| College: | Minnesota | ||||
| Undrafted: | 1986 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Stepanek began his professional career in 1986 by joining the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) but did not make the team.[3] In the 1987 off-season, he had stints in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.[3][4] When the NFL Players Association went on strike, Stepanek was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as a replacement player.[5] He played only one game for the Vikings, starting against the Green Bay Packers at defensive tackle, and recorded a safety; he finished tied for the league lead in that category even though he played only one of 15 possible games.[5][6] He was released by the team after the strike and later had a short stay with the New York Jets, but never played professionally again.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ "Joe Stepanek picks Gophers". The Gazette. Associated Press. January 13, 1984. p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Joe Stepanek Stats". Pro Football Archives.
- ^ a b c "Joe Stepanek Transactions". Pro Football Archives.
- ^ Miliokas, Nick (June 3, 1987). "Gregory reduces roster". The Leader-Post. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Witosky, Tom (October 6, 1987). "Ex-Hawk sees 'heckuva' job by NFL replacement players". The Des Moines Register. p. 7, 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Joe Stepanek stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
