Sallisaw Little League football, wrestling founder passes away at age 87

It must have felt like a huge balloon had its air released as Sallisaw, and even Sequoyah County, lost one of its biggest sports fans in Curtis Stephens, who passed away Thursday at age 87.

Stephens started the Sallisaw Youth League wrestling and football programs, and he was an umpire and coach in every sport his children were involved.

A moment of silence took place at the start of Thursday night’s Sallisaw Community Pep Rally at Perry F. Lattimore Stadium. “He won’t be forgotten, and not only in this community, but across the nation,” said Sallisaw girls wrestling coach/cross country coach Darrel Hume, who spoke at Stephens’ funeral that took place Thursday morning at Immanuel Baptist Church in Sallisaw. “He worked with the Tulsa Nationals (wrestling tournament) and the tournament that went on out in Las Vegas.

He handed out trophies — he’s handed out trophies to thousands of wrestlers.”

Hume knew Stephens for numerous years.

“I met Curtis when I was young as a child while wrestling in Stilwell,” Hume said. “He had some of the greatest wrestlers in Oklahoma. He traveled with them everywhere. When I came here (to Sallisaw High School) in 1998 when I was hired, he already knew me — I just had to get to know him again. He had wrestled for Paul Post. He talked to me about Paul Post. He was so proud of the Sallisaw history. He told me about all the state champions they had, and how everything was — he even told me what I had done in high school. That man knew what he was talking about when it came to wrestling. I was very impressed with him. He would travel with me and take care of the books when I first started out. I loved it when he kept score for me because, when he came back in on Monday, he would have stats for me and everything else — plus, while he never told me how to coach, he would hint at the things we needed to work on. He did everything for Sallisaw wrestling that he possibly could. He was an icon in the stands. He was a very good man. His youth league programs, a lot of my kids came through it, and he got kids to come out and wrestle, too. The older he got, the less he got to travel. Those generations always remembered him and thought the world about him. He was a man who dedicated his life to the children here. I loved how he kept up with every kid that we had in the wrestling room. He knew things that were going on. I appreciated his efforts — even when he wasn’t a part of the program (after moving to Vian), he was still there. Curtis was just a good-hearted man.”

Hume recalled one humorous moment he and Stephens got to enjoy.

When he was doing the youth (wrestling) program, he carried a bag with him,” Hume said. “He saved everything, and, whenever I came here, he gave me a bunch of old wrestling singlets that they hadn’t worn in 30 years. They were out of style. He just had them. He was something else.”

Hume also mentioned how Stephens impacted the local football scene.

“He worked with the youth league football, and he put just as much effort into that,” Hume said. “He talked about all those things he did with those football kids. When we were in those glory days and being in all those state finals, he knew every one of those boys through the youth league program. He was supporting our youth. He was a very impressive man. I have nothing but good things to say about him. We’re going to miss him.”

“He did a lot for Sallisaw athletics, especially in the youth league programs in football and wrestling and getting those started,” Sallisaw football coach Brandon Tyler said. “He has a lot of respect from the people I talked to. In my encounters with him, he was a great man. He did a lot for our youth. I coached his grandson Jon Parks at Vian. Curtis was always a pillar in the community, and he did a great job of leading our youth — and getting them going in the right direction.”

Hume said the current generation may not remember Stephens as well as previous generations, but Stephens’ impact on both wrestling and football is priceless.

“These next generations of younger kids don’t recognize him as much because he couldn’t come around as much,” Hume said. “They would just see him at nationals, handing out medals. If you take the generations (of wrestlers) I’ve coached, they all know him, and the generations before me all know who Curtis Stephens is.”