Question: Jon Stevenson jersey - Looking for some more info

[KrAzY3]

I recently acquired a Jon Stevenson jersey. It was described as game used from the 1991 season but they didn't even list his first name, so I'd question their information. Also, it does show moderate signs of use but I can't imagine it being used for more than a couple games. So, for those of you who might know, I was just looking for some more information on Jon as well as trying to get a good idea of what this jersey was used for.

I know Jon played from 1991-1994 as a offensive tackle and from what I can gather (not a lot of info on him) he was one of the best Alabama has had that that position. The other reason this jersey caught my eye was because it still had the nameplate and that's somewhat of a rarity. I've had trouble finding quality pictures to compare the jersey, so for all I know it's a practice jersey but it appears as though it was prepared for a game and might have been used. Very little wear, but I noticed some residue under the arms from where it might have been taped up and there are a couple spots that indicate it was used for something (but not enough wear to indicate it was used often). It's a pretty simple jersey, it has the tag on the bottom left side and the Russel logo on the right hand side. No patches and the name and numbers are screened on.

I know to some people I might be over analyzing but I think it would be cool to know exactly what I have and if it was actually used in a Alabama game or not. Anyway, any info on Jon or the jersey would be appreciated. Here are some pictures:

 

[TideEngineer08]

When Stevenson played, that would be what the game jerseys looked like. They were Russell, not Nike, and there were no other logos or markings on the jerseys at that time.

That may not necessarily mean this wasn't a practice jersey, but I tend to lean towards it truly being a gameday jersey.

 

[Vinny]

That had to be from 91, 93, or 94, couldn't have been from 92 because of the Century of Champions Patch.

 

[LCN]

If I had to lean one way or the other , I believe it's likely the real deal . Other than that , Jon did play a little OT one season out of necessity but he was a fixture at RG . Stevenson was quite versatile for an OL . Enough so that he practiced some at OC as well .

 

[day-day]

From my shaky memory...Stevenson was an OL from Memphis who started as a freshman. I think he started as RT his first season and play RG mostly after that but played at center through part of one season as well.

 

[Bama1970]

That had to be from 91, 93, or 94, couldn't have been from 92 because of the Century of Champions Patch.

Good point

 

[KrAzY3]

When Stevenson played, that would be what the game jerseys looked like. They were Russell, not Nike, and there were no other logos or markings on the jerseys at that time.

Thanks

That had to be from 91, 93, or 94, couldn't have been from 92 because of the Century of Champions Patch.

I saw that patch and thought it was 1992 but couldn't find any pictures that were high enough quality to see exactly what it was.

If I had to lean one way or the other , I believe it's likely the real deal . Other than that , Jon did play a little OT one season out of necessity but he was a fixture at RG . Stevenson was quite versatile for an OL . Enough so that he practiced some at OC as well .

From my shaky memory...Stevenson was an OL from Memphis who started as a freshman. I think he started as RT his first season and play RG mostly after that but played at center through part of one season as well.

I was 10 when he started playing at Alabama and I have to confess I wasn't paying much attention to the nuances of the game at that time so I didn't really recall his exact role. What I did find usually listed him as OT but I didn't realize he was that versatile. That's cool to know, I know he was All-SEC though and from what I can tell he's one of those under appreciated players that did a very good job at Alabama.

Thanks for the info people, either way I'm glad to have something that dates back to when I started being a Alabama fan.

 

[BamaZone]

The numbers and jersey have the "diamond" pattern vents. Those are exactly like the jersey in D. Moore's "Crimson Legacy". (Just happens that I'm at my desk and the print is directly in front of me.)

Here is something interesting.... and a good trivia question:
Who was the first true freshman to start a season opener at Alabama?

Here's a list... link at follows..
TRUE FRESHMEN TO START A SEASON OPENER
Player, Pos. Year
Julio Jones, WR/KR 2008
Dont'a Hightower, LB 2008
Rolando McClain, LB 2007
Kareem Jackson, DB 2007
Andre Smith, LT 2006
Tim Castille, FB 2003
Dante Ellington, RT 1999
Saleem Rasheed, LB 1999
Terry Jones, Jr., TE 1998
Jon Stevenson, RT 1991

Alabama: Football Games Notes vs. Clemson - NCAA.com ? The Official Website of NCAA Championships

 

[wishbonedays]

A couple of points about the jersey:

1. practice jerseys don't have nameplates. I've never seen a players name on a practice jersey at UA. Never.
2. practice jerseys don't have screen printed numbers, they typically have used jerseys with heat applied numbers. At least UA didn't start using them that way until about that time frame. When I played we had white practice jerseys with black numbers that were screen printed, not crimson, but that was during the Perkins regime.
3. The Russell jerseys didn't have the "R" logo on the sleeve until '93 or '94. I'm leaning towards '94. This is the most important point, so I don't think it was used during the '91 season.

Having said all this I feel pretty confident that the jersey is the real deal, It appears to be a gamer. I have several of them and it compares well to them and I would have no problem including this one in my collection.

 

[KrAzY3]

Here is something interesting.... and a good trivia question:
Who was the first true freshman to start a season opener at Alabama?

Here's a list... link at follows..
TRUE FRESHMEN TO START A SEASON OPENER
Player, Pos. Year
Julio Jones, WR/KR 2008
Dont'a Hightower, LB 2008
Rolando McClain, LB 2007
Kareem Jackson, DB 2007
Andre Smith, LT 2006
Tim Castille, FB 2003
Dante Ellington, RT 1999
Saleem Rasheed, LB 1999
Terry Jones, Jr., TE 1998
Jon Stevenson, RT 1991

That's a very impressive list, I like it! It also shows how much Saban has done to get guys ready to play right away. No point in red shirting a guy that's going to be gone in three years anyway...

A couple of points about the jersey:

1. practice jerseys don't have nameplates. I've never seen a players name on a practice jersey at UA. Never.
2. practice jerseys don't have screen printed numbers, they typically have used jerseys with heat applied numbers. At least UA didn't start using them that way until about that time frame. When I played we had white practice jerseys with black numbers that were screen printed, not crimson, but that was during the Perkins regime.
3. The Russell jerseys didn't have the "R" logo on the sleeve until '93 or '94. I'm leaning towards '94. This is the most important point, so I don't think it was used during the '91 season.

Having said all this I feel pretty confident that the jersey is the real deal, It appears to be a gamer. I have several of them and it compares well to them and I would have no problem including this one in my collection.

Thanks a lot for the information! I'm new to the world of game used jerseys and this is the first Alabama one I've gotten my hands on so I didn't have anything to compare it to. I didn't think it could be a practice jersey, I just didn't have a good way to compare it. Glad to get some more information.

I just wasn't having luck finding high quality pictures, so I did see some that appeared not to have the R and some that did but I wasn't able to say for sure since it's not that big. Thanks for that information. Do you have any photos of your collection? I'd be interested in seeing them.

Here's some of my jerseys (almost all baseball, I found a collection in a thrift store and that's what got me started and enabled to get me some items out of my price range).

 

[tambo410]

I was in school with Big Jon and knew him though not well. In addition to being a great RG he was also very smart... The last I saw him he had me horse collared on the strip. I will not go into detail but needless to say, I deserved it.

I think he went to the Colts but did not play. I can't recall the reason...

 

[TiderMan]

The numbers and jersey have the "diamond" pattern vents. Those are exactly like the jersey in D. Moore's "Crimson Legacy". (Just happens that I'm at my desk and the print is directly in front of me.)

Here is something interesting.... and a good trivia question:
Who was the first true freshman to start a season opener at Alabama?

Here's a list... link at follows..
TRUE FRESHMEN TO START A SEASON OPENER
Player, Pos. Year
Julio Jones, WR/KR 2008
Dont'a Hightower, LB 2008
Rolando McClain, LB 2007
Kareem Jackson, DB 2007
Andre Smith, LT 2006
Tim Castille, FB 2003
Dante Ellington, RT 1999
Saleem Rasheed, LB 1999
Terry Jones, Jr., TE 1998
Jon Stevenson, RT 1991

Alabama: Football Games Notes vs. Clemson - NCAA.com ? The Official Website of NCAA Championships

The first to start as a true freshman in his first game was Larry Rose.

The All Time Battle The Sleeper Team

LG – Larry Rose 1985-1988

The first Alabama player to start his first game as a true freshman, Rose was steady and consistent until he broke out in his junior year, and finishing the year being named to the 2nd Team All America squad. He came back for his senior year and was named a unanimous All Conference pick and 1st Team All America.