Daryl Stovall

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Think of the best high school athleteyou ever saw in person. Today,
it might be Christian Jones, theremarkably gifted West Side Warrior. Maybe a
generation ago, Danny Woodhead, thepocket sized hero who kept defying the doubters
all the way to a ten yearcareer in the NFL. Before him,
Eric Strickland two generations ago, TomCrop, the menacing two way football star

(00:21):
and dominating force on the basketball courtfrom Aurora. Or Johnny Rodgers, zigzagging
through tacklers or laying out to stabline drives in the outfield gaps three generations
ago. It was Bob Gibson whogrew out of the projects to be among
the dominant Major League pitchers of thetwentieth century. Gibson, Crop, and
Rogers said an insane standard that fewdared match. Each career that followed theirs

(00:46):
was fruitlessly prefixed with the words thenext, And then came this one,
from which those who followed would sufferthe same fate. Could this one be
the next? Darryl Stoveall. Stovevalldied yesterday morning at sixty four complications from
pancreatic cancer, and with him goesthe legacy of one of Omaha's true great

(01:07):
athletes. But unlike his legendary sportsancestors, most of which went on to
great exploits in the pros, Stoveallwas content to let us remember him as
a schoolboy, high school and collegephenom, and then he changed the lives
when nobody was watching. He wasAll state in basketball and baseball for three

(01:29):
years at Bellevue West, chose Creightonbecause coaches Tom Apke and Jerry Bartie consented
to what few would let him playtwo sports. On the court, he
led the Jays to Missouri Valley Conferencetitles and NCAA tournaments, first as the
league's premier defender and then Creighton's leadingscorer. On the diamond, he burst
out with nine home runs his freshmanyear got better from there. Pro scouts

(01:53):
likened him to Ken Griffy, thepremier five tool player of the day.
At the close of his college career, Stoveall was the Dion Sanders of his
day, drafted into not one buttwo professional sports leagues, the San Diego
Clippers of the NBA and the ChicagoWhite Sox of the American League, and

(02:13):
even though he hadn't played football inthree years, the Dallas Cowboys made him
an NFL free agent. Finally,he had to pick one baseball. The
dad will show that he played hisbest baseball in high school and college,
but in reality, Stovevall was neverdriven by that fame. Didn't need any
more confirmation of his gifts. Sohome he came, returned to Omaha to

(02:37):
serve as a volunteer assistant for newwomen's basketball coach Bruce Rasmussen. Stoveall,
with steam still coming off his athleticscareer, stepped in to help out.
Rasmussen has said publicly, without Stoveball, he might not have stayed, which
means no Dana Altman, no GregMcDermott. Darrell didn't know it, but

(02:59):
he really wasn't he to give upcompetition outside of the women's team. He
tried to fill the emptiness with gambling. It got him hard, fought it
for ten years before the same DarylStovevall that shut down NBA draft picks or
blasted doubles off future Big league pitchersto beat the addiction, and through that

(03:19):
wreckage found the true Darryl Stovall.Inspired by his own mistakes, he launched
a career in law enforcement, notas a cop, far more dangerous than
that. He was an undercovered ganginfiltrator worked his way into gang organizations,
funneling their activities to police. He'dearn the trust of vulnerable young black males.

(03:42):
He'd keep them out of trouble byshuttling them to late night basketball and
baseball. Gang leaders were incensed formost of twenty years. They funded bounties
on Darryl Stoveall. Take him outand we'll make you rich. So Darrel
never kept a phone. It wastoo risky. He hopscotched in living rooms

(04:02):
and hotel rooms and boarding houses fortwenty years, never quite sure if his
next step would be his last.Is that a life you could live?
Is that a life you would live? An athlete's time with us is so
fleeting. Their greatness doesn't have muchof a shelf life. After their last
game, there, stardom fades intothe mist. Darro Stovall did too,

(04:24):
but it was there where his starshined brightest.