At his best, Kordell Stewart schooled NFL defenses. Now, he might transition into actual classroom teaching. The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson recently caught up with Stewart, who is considering earning his master’s in order to become a professor.
“All you want to do is plant the seeds and continue to work,” Stewart told Tomasson. “We all have a vision to do some things that we want to do.”
Stewart currently lives in Atlanta but has made stops at Colorado, where he played quarterback and is still remembered for his Hail Mary pass to beat Michigan in 1994. Stewart remained friends with the Buffaloes’ head coach, Deion Sanders, the pair teammates in Baltimore, with Sanders inviting Stewart to speak one day at the course inspired by Sanders. That gave Stewart the itch to consider teaching.
A second-round pick in 1995, Stewart held a “Slash” role early in his career as a quarterback/running back/receiver hybrid. As a rookie, he caught, threw, and rushed for a touchdown and remains one of only four players in the last 35 years to do so in his first season. Since, RB Deuce McAllister, QB Marcus Mariota, and RB Tarik Cohen have matched that feat.
Stewart eventually became a full-time quarterback. Though his career was defined by ups and downs, he made one Pro Bowl and led Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship Game in 2001 before falling to the New England Patriots. He spent one more season with Pittsburgh before spending time with the Chicago Bears in 2003 and the Ravens in 2004 and 2005. Stewart kept the door open to an NFL return before officially retiring in 2012 at 40 years old.
What’s old might be new with the Steelers potentially using Justin Fields in a ‘Slash’ role just as Stewart was 30 years ago.
Since then, Kordell Stewart has dabbled in television, appearing on reality shows and doing some sideline reporting. Now, he might go back to school.
“It’s something I’m thinking about doing,” Stewart said. “If I would get a master’s, I would have to do it at Colorado. Nowhere else.”
