Buddy Stephens

Wofford Oran "Buddy" Stephens Jr. is an American junior college football coach. He is the head football coach at East Mississippi Community College,^[1] where he has won five NJCAA National Football Championships and coached future National Football League (NFL) players such as Chad Kelly, Jarran Reed and Dakota Allen.

Buddy Stephens

Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	East Mississippi
Conference	MACJC
Record	148–28
Biographical details
Born	(1966-09-06) September 6, 1966 (age 58) Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
Playing career
1986–1987	Pearl River
1988–1989	Delta State
Position(s)	Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2001–2007	Pearl River (assistant)
2008–present	East Mississippi
Head coaching record
Overall	148–28
Bowls	7–0
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
5 NJCAA National (2011, 2013–2014, 2017–2018) 9 MACJC/MACCC (2009, 2011, 2013–2014, 2016–2018, 2022–2023) 13 MACJC/MACCC North Division (2008–2009, 2011–2019, 2021, 2023)

Stephens is known as the head coach from the first two seasons of the Netflix series Last Chance U. He has won more games at EMCC than any other coach in history.

Stephens played college football for Pearl River and Delta State, both as a center and guard.^[2][3] After serving as an assistant football and girls' soccer coach at Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he was hired at Pearl River in 2001.^[4]

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	NJCAA#
East Mississippi Lions (Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges / Community Colleges Conference) (2008–present)
2008	East Mississippi	8–2	6–0	1st (North)
2009	East Mississippi	11–1	6–0	1st (North)	W Mississippi Bowl	4
2010	East Mississippi	5–5	4–2	2nd (North)
2011	East Mississippi	12–0	6–0	1st (North)	W El Toro Bowl	1
2012	East Mississippi	8–2	5–1	1st (North)		15
2013	East Mississippi	12–0	6–0	1st (North)	W Mississippi Bowl	1
2014	East Mississippi	12–0	6–0	1st (North)	W Mississippi Bowl	1
2015	East Mississippi	8–1	6–0	1st (North)		7
2016	East Mississippi	11–1	6–0	1st (North)	W Mississippi Bowl	2
2017	East Mississippi	11–1	8–1	1st (North)	W Mississippi Bowl	1
2018	East Mississippi	12–0	6–0	1st (North)	W NJCAA championship game	1
2019	East Mississippi	6–4	4–2	T–1st (North)		14
2020–21	No team—COVID-19
2021	East Mississippi	9–1	6–0	1st (North)		6
2022	East Mississippi	8–3	4–2	2nd (North)		6
2023	East Mississippi	10–3	6–0	1st (North)	L NJCAA championship game	2
2024	East Mississippi	5–4	4–2	T–2nd (North)		14
East Mississippi:		148–28	89–10
Total:		148–28
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
#Rankings from NJCAA poll.