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Here is a photo of a ticket for the Greg Stead Bowl played between Miami Edison and Miami Killian High Schools at the Orange Bowl on December 2, 1971. Killian would win the game. But the game’s significance was much greater than the final score.
In 1971, Greg Stead was a 15-year-old sophomore linebacker at Miami Edison High School. He was a promising talent, who was good enough to play on the varsity when most 10th graders were toiling on the JV. Many, including Edison head coach Haywood Fowle, thought Stead had the talent to become a potential college prospect. But in the opening game of the 1971 season between Edison and rival Miami Norland at the Orange Bowl, Stead’s life changed forever. During a kickoff, Stead suffered a spinal chord injury after making a tackle. The results were devastating. At just age 15, he would have to live the remainder of his life as a quadriplegic. Edison head coach Haywood Fowle was so shook up by the incident, he retired at the end of the season.
To help raise money for his healthcare, the Orange Bowl Committee established a game called the Greg Stead Bowl between Edison and Killian High Schools. The game raised more than $50,000. Despite his handicaps, Stead kept a positive attitude. One of eight siblings, he graduated from Edison High and Barry University in Miami Shores. Stead became an avid traveler, touring the country and abroad. He became a successful business entrepreneur. Greg Stead passed way peacefully on November 8, 2007. He was 52 years old.
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