Bayou Icon | Stan Humphries

ARTICLE BY GEORGIANN POTTS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

For many in our region – and well beyond – William Stanley “Stan” Humphries is a hero (and not just for football). Many remember his years playing football at Northeast Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe). There he quarterbacked his team to NLU’s first I-AA National Championship. When he went to the pros, even more fans became aware of his talents. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins and later traded to the San Diego Chargers. While a Charger, Stan helped his team win the American Football Conference Championship and then was starting quarterback in Super Bowl XXIX. But there is much to Stan’s story than his playing days. When he retired from professional ranks, he coached at NLU for several years and then moved to high school coaching. There, perhaps more than any other, was where he found his “home” and his “calling” — to work with (and for) young people. Because of his devotion to sports and young athletes, his philanthropic work on behalf of children, and because of his loyalty to our region, Stan Humphries is our October Bayou Icon.

It’s not surprising that Stan Humphries grew up in a family that loved sports – especially football and basketball. Stan loved those two sports, but readily admits that he loves just about every sport. Stan was the only one in his family who made sports his career. Countless people are deeply grateful that he made that decision. Stan’s positive influence both on and off the field has made a tangible difference in many lives. Whether as a player, a coach, or a fan, Stan’s naturally competitive nature rises to the forefront. He admits that he has always enjoyed competition – perhaps more on the golf course than anywhere else these days.

A Family of Athletes
Jewell Humphries, Stan’s father, was born in Hope, Arkansas. Like his son, Jewell was an athlete. He played football at Byrd High School in Shreveport, and then at Louisiana Tech University. Stan’s mother, Jean, was born near Winnsboro, Louisiana. She, too, was athletic and played basketball at Ogden High School near Winnsboro, Louisiana. Both parents encouraged Stan to participate in sports. They recognized that their son possessed special talents through both his physical skills and his leadership ability. 

Shreveport was home for Stan and his family while he was growing up. There his parents ran Buttons & Bows, a daycare facility for children. Stan attended Forest Hill Elementary, Ridgewood Junior High, and Southwood High School. Like so many his age, Stan had a dream of becoming a professional athlete one day. Unlike so many, he worked hard to develop the physical and mental talents to achieve that dream. Stan played every sport available to him growing up. “I always loved to compete in everything,” Stan explains. “It didn’t matter what.”

At Ridgewood Junior High, Stan came under the influence of Coach Ken Cockeran. Coach Cockeran coached Stan in football and basketball and was instrumental in Stan’s growth as a player and as an individual. “Coach Cockeran was very organized. He paid attention to details,” Stan explains. “He impressed me with how much he cared for his players.” These lessons would continue to influence Stan’s life for many years afterward. 

When Stan was in junior high, he realized that he could do something others couldn’t – he could see things others didn’t, and he could do things on the field that others couldn’t. Stan began thinking not just from one play to the next, but more broadly. He began understanding strategies that might better control a game’s outcome.

There’s No Place Like Home
When Stan was a senior at Southwood High, he signed with Louisiana State University to play football right out of high school. He enrolled in 1983 and remained at LSU for a year. LSU’s big school atmosphere did not appeal to Stan. The following year he transferred back to “home territory” and enrolled at Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe. “I liked the family atmosphere there,” Stan says. “It was a smaller, more relaxed school and that attracted me.”

Stan quickly became an essential part of the team that would ultimately accomplish something no previous team at the university had accomplished – win the Division I-AA National Championship. That win put both NLU and Stan “on the map.” The win was also tangible proof to Stan and his teammates that all of those years of hard work had paid off. 

In that championship game, Stan proved he could handle personal stress and still manage his team during difficult game moments. In the 4th quarter, NLU was down by 14 points. Stan brought his team back to win, throwing for 436 yas and 3 touchdowns. It was evident that Stan would be drafted into the pro ranks.

There’s Nothing Like True Love
Stan graduated from NLU with two things – a General Studies degree and a wife. Stan and Connie Penny met at NLU. She was from Coushatta, Louisiana, and was studying for a degree in dental hygiene. The two dated for two years before marrying in 1987 during their senior year. Their wedding day in Coushatta was predictably hot for August in Louisiana. In spite of the excessive heat, Connie’s mother turned off the church air-conditioning to prevent it from blowing out the candles. That made the ceremony even more memorable, according to Stan!

Anyone who knows Stan and Connie know that theirs is a true love match. Stan describes his wife as “. . . the sweetest, most loving person I have ever met. She takes care of our family. She is our rock.” Connie shares Stan’s love for sports and also loves competition. An added bonus – she makes a terrific homemade pizza (Stan’s favorite). Stan says that Connie is his best friend and a wonderful mother to their children — a very special lady indeed. 

Stan and Connie were blessed with two daughters – Brooke (now married to Cody Dollar) and Chelsea (married to James Stephens). Both live in Monroe with their husbands and children. Interestingly, both sisters have 2-year-olds – Brooke has a son, Hudson; and Chelsea has a daughter, Stella. In addition, Chelsea has a 5-year-old son, Shaw. Both Stan and Connie treasure family time with their children and grandchildren. No doubt sports will be a part of Stan and Connie’s grandparenting routine!

Navigating Professional Football
Connie was by his side when Stan was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 6th round of the National Football League. That moment fulfilled Stan’s nearly lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete. It also marked the beginning of what would be a ten-year journey with the pros.

When asked what he noticed as being different in the pros from playing collegiate ball, Stan’s first response was how old some of the professional players were. He had been accustomed to playing with contemporaries; now he was playing with game-seasoned older guys who had lots of playing experience. “I was also surprised at how much faster the game was played,” Stan explains. “The biggest surprise was that being a professional football player was a daily seven in the morning until five in the afternoon job.” That took time away from his family, and that took some adjusting to. Stan never felt like he had enough time to spend with them while a professional player.

Stan’s pro career began with the Washington Redskins from 1988 until 1991. Stan played back-up quarterback for the Redskins for several years. While there he studied the game, learned the rules of pro ball, and made lasting friendships. Toward the end of his time with Washington, Stan started 5 games because the starting QB was injured. The next year – Stan’s last with Washington – the Redskins played in the Super Bowl. Stan got a ring, but didn’t take a snap. He was determined to work hard and maybe get a second chance to play in a Super Bowl.

That chance came in 1992 when Stan was traded to the San Diego Chargers. During his time with the Chargers (1992 – 1997), Stan sustained a serious shoulder injury (dislocated) that limited his play. Even so, in 1994 in a game that was reminiscent of his NLU come-from-behind championship battle, Stan led the Chargers from a 21-6 deficit in the second half to a 23-22 victory over Miami. Just one week later, Stan did it again in the AFC Championship game. The Chargers were behind 13-3 in the 3rd quarter. He threw two touchdown passes in the second half and the Chargers upset the Steelers 17-13. The Chargers would lose Super Bowl XXIX to the heavily favored San Francisco 48ers.

During his pro career, Stan amassed 81 career starts over 10 seasons. Of those, 76 were with San Diego. He retired in 1998, having suffered not only the shoulder dislocation but also several concussions. At that time, there were no established concussion protocols. Stan also underwent “Tommy John Surgery” – a surgical procedure to repair a torn ligament inside the elbow – on his left elbow.  Clearly, it was time for a career change. 

Unexpected Challenge
In 1996 when daughter Brooke was 6 years old, she underwent heart surgery. In 1995 Stan and Connie had taken Brooke in for a wellness check to have her papers signed so that she could start school. Her doctor detected a heart murmur and immediately sent the couple to a pediatric cardiologist. There they learned that their daughter’s heart problem could be fixed, but that it would require surgery. Stan and Connie were devastated.

The same year that the family received Brooke’s diagnosis, Stan was invited to play golf in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. During his practice round, Stan asked the fellow he had been randomly paired with what he did for a living. The man answered, “I am the Chief Cardiologist at Stanford University.” It was, as Connie says, “. . . a God thing!”

Stan and Connie had taken Brooke to several children’s hospitals but were discouraged when they were told by all that they only did surgery for heart issues a few times a year. “We wanted someone who did these surgeries all day, every day,” Stan says. Now Stan found himself in a practice round of golf with someone who could help. 

The cardiologist asked Stan to send him all the documentation from Brooke’s echocardiograms. After looking it over, the doctor gave the Humphries the help they had been seeking. “He told us to go to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston and see Dr. Charles D. “Chuck” Frasier,” Stan says. “That’s exactly where we went and Dr. Frasier fixed our baby girl. This entire experience totally amazed us at how God can show up in the strangest places and give you the answers you need!” 

A Crisis Becomes an Opportunity 
That experience changed Stan, directing his attention away from sports and toward children who needed special healthcare. He began helping Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, over time raising more than $1 million through the Celebrity Classic charity golf tournament that he founded. The Brooke Humphries Fund was established in honor of Stan’s daughter, Brooke. Today there is an orthopedic wing at Rady Children’s named after Brooke – the “Brooke Humphries Field of Dreams.” It was established in the late 1990’s. “The waiting room is a football field and the patient rooms are named using familiar football terms,” Stan explains. “One is the Quarterback Room, another the Coaches’ Office, and so on.”

The Humphries have continued to raise funds for Rady Children’s. They helped buy a van that could go to schools and see children, allowing their parents to stay at work. “We paid for a chaplain for the hospital,” Stan says. “We were also able to purchase a state-of-the-art heart machine – and there are only a couple of those in the United States.”

Stan became a spokesperson for the United Way in San Diego while playing for the Chargers. He also did several NFL United Way commercials. By using his influence in this way, Stan made a significant difference in the healthcare available to children through Rady Children’s. 

Clearly, Stan is not just a football hero, known for his football success. He is also a hero because of his hard work as a philanthropist. That dedication to working for others has benefited thousands of children and their families.

Life After the Pros
In 2002, Stan was inducted into the Charger’s Hall of Fame. Two years later in 2004, Stan was inducted by the Chargers into the San Diego Hall of Champions in the Breitbard Hall of Fame. This designation is designed to honor San Diego’s finest athletes both on and off the field. In 2007 Stan was honored by induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009 the Chargers named their 50th anniversary team. Stan was one of four quarterbacks named to that team. 

After retiring from pro football, Stan continued his career in sports, doing a variety of things including a stint as a sports commentator. The most rewarding, however, has been his work coaching young athletes trying to excel in sports while becoming adults. For the last 19 years, Stan has coached girls high school basketball. The past seven years have been at Ouachita Christian School in Monroe, Louisiana. (Two years during this period he also served as an assistant basketball coach at ULM.)

At OCS, Stan works closely with Bobby Stokes, an old friend who Stan admires. Today Stan is Girls’ Athletic Director and Girls’ Head Basketball Coach. “I love OCS and the people here,” Stan explains. “I love the atmosphere and the opportunity to teach life skills that will last long after their sports participation. I appreciate being able to help wherever and however I can.”

Stan does have some reservations about youth sports, however. He is concerned that today’s youth are being pushed too early and too hard into sports. Travel ball has become increasingly popular as parents and their children play extra games in order to develop a competitive edge based on experience. “Sports should teach young people the importance of discipline, the value in teamwork, and that both of these are life lessons that will last well past their playing days,” Stan says. “But kids need some time to themselves so they can just be kids.”

There’s Always Time for Golf
Stan’s passion for golf (and it is a serious passion) began when he was in high school. Then he would play 3-4 times per week (except during basketball season). Playing golf became his only hobby, and one at which he became quite good. It was only fitting that later in life Stan would choose a charity golf tournament as the primary fundraiser for his philanthropic work. 

It is also not surprising that over the years Stan has become quite good at the game. He has enjoyed playing many famous courses. His favorites? The beautiful, peaceful course at Pebble Beach and the world-famous St. Andrews course in Scotland. 

As with every other sport Stan has played, he has put in the hard work and practice time necessary to win at golf. His competitive spirit has paid off. In 2022 he made the United States Senior Amateur Match Play. He also played in the British Senior Amateur in 2023 and placed 4th. In 2024 Stan won both the Dale Morey Invitational and the 73rd North and South Senior Invitational at Pinehurst. 

Former quarterback Joe Namath once made this observation: “How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.” When thinking back over both Stan’s life and career, it is impossible not to notice a recurring theme that appears throughout – the reward that comes from hard work. Some of Stan’s greatest moments have come when he faced adversity and had to find a way to overcome it. Each time — whether in a championship game or faced with a personal or family health crisis — Stan learned from the experience and grew from it. And each time Stan emerged a winner.