After playing football for Jacksonville State in 2012, Leonard Stephens ran away from the idea of coaching and athletic training for a number of years. Born and raised in Birmingham, Stephens attended Hueytown High School, the same institution that produced pitcher Alton Davis II and former Alabama running back Roydell Williams.
In college, Stephens sustained an ACL injury that necessitated surgery. During surgery, his heart stopped twice, but the surgeons were still able to save his life.
Stephens stated, “I knew I wanted to help keep athletes healthy and prepared to play in some capacity.”
Stephens has the training and experience to assist players, having studied kinesiology and exercise science at Jacksonville State.
Stephens coached his 3-year-old son’s basketball team at the Trussville YMCA for his first coaching experience. Observing how the team’s young players responded to his guidance, he went so far as to offer to tutor a teammate whose father was unable to instruct his son due to health concerns.
Stephens began working at Coca-Cola full-time after graduating from college in 2018, however this was not his first full-time position. He initially resisted training kids and looked for ways to get out of it.
He eventually found time to work out more frequently. He quickly grew his training clientele, primarily coaching athletes from Clay-Chalkville and McAdory high schools.
Prior to purchasing his own space, Stephens instructed kids in nearby fields. He was informed after his final on-field practice that the day would be his last to use the field since a school would soon be constructed on the land.
“It felt like God was telling me that he had reserved that field for me for a year in order to strengthen my faith and confidence in my ability to launch a sports training company,” Stephens remarked.
Thus, he bought his first establishment, which he later described as “old, moldy, dusty, rotten, and in need of some tender loving care.”
Stephens had laid the groundwork for his business through his prior experiences as a collegiate athlete and as a person who faced hardship due to injuries.v
Stephens stated, “I wanted to be what other athletes needed in order for them to have opportunities in whatever sport they played.” “I also wanted to serve as a guide so they wouldn’t trip over the same obstacles or fall into the same traps that I did.”
Stephens served as the main trainer and formally established Step-by-Step Sports Training in 2016. Since 2018, Stephens, who now goes by “Coach L,” has made this a sustainable venture.
According to him, Step-by-Step’s mission statement is the source of the company name.
“Our goal is to support the athletes every step of the way throughout the competition. I’m speaking both before and after the games,” Stephens remarked. “You can’t help but want to walk athletes through the process step by step when you spend so much time with them and give so much of yourself and your time.”
Coach L has trained over 450 players, including D.J. Dale of Alabama, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Roydell Williams, Phidarian Mathis, Emil Ekiyor Jr., and Byron Young, who went on to play Division-1 sports.
From 2022 till now, McKinstry, Young, and Mathis have all been chosen in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Equarrius Robinson, Jeremiah Beaman, Jaylen Mbakwe, Quinton “QB” Reese, Jordan Renaud, and L.T. Overton are the six current Alabama players that Coach L is currently training.
Categories: Alabama, Alabama News, College Sports, High School Sports, Local News; Tags: Coach L, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Leonard Stephens, Step-by-Step Sports training, Alabama football;
