Embracing The Enemy Davis’ Stubblefield Drops By For East-West Game

Finally, after years of terrorizing Spokane athletes, Taylor Stubblefield is in a position to lend them a hand.

That is if the three-sport standout from Davis is healthy enough to be a triple threat for the East team in the East-West All-Star Football Summer Classic on Friday at Albi Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m.

Stubblefield intends to play as he nurses a hamstring injured at the state track meet.

Stubblefield, 6-foot-1, 165-pounds with 4.5-second speed for 40 yards, is listed as a receiver. However, he had more than 1,200 yards last fall as a receiver, quarterback and kick returner.

The East needs Stubblefield on the field. As usual, the West, despite a seven-game losing streak in the series, has more big-name players.

Stubblefield can help level the field and his 10 teammates from the Greater Spokane League know it. If they haven’t crossed paths with Stubblefield no doubt a schoolmate or two have.

Stubblefield is a four-year starter and three-time state participant in basketball, a four-year state placer in track and a three-year standout in football.

Considering the close relationship between the Big Nine and GSL there are probably as many people in Spokane as the Big Nine who are happy Stubblefield will suit up for Purdue University this fall.

The place of least Stubblefield-inflicted pain is the football field, at least for the GSL. The only time Davis faced a GSL team was in 1997 when Mead beat the Pirates 47-42. Davis set school passing and receiving records and Mead rushed about about 400 yards.

Still, Stubblefield has had a stellar three-year football career. That sophomore year he had 51 catches for 960 yards. The next two years he split time at receiver and quarterback. His junior year the Pirates had their first winning season since 1977 and were a few seconds and one play away from their first ever playoff appearance.

Last fall he had more than 40 catches and 500 yards - and he kicked, too.

Basketball was even better to Stubblefield. His average went up about a point per game each year, starting at 17 as a freshman when he was second team All-Big Nine. The last three years brought state trips and two trophies.

Stubblefield was second in the long jump at the last two state track meets and placed in the triple jump three times. He was the state-leading triple jumper going into state this year before his hamstring injury, which cost Davis a state title after two second-place finishes.

Through it all he maintained a 3.5 grade-point average.

“It’s all about time management. Sometimes you have to sacrifice,” he said. “I don’t think I had it real hard in the classroom, but I always knew to get a scholarship you have to have your grades. It doesn’t matter how good you are if you don’t have your grades.”

Now it’s time to move on to a football career in the Big Ten, “the best conference in the nation,” and major in accounting with plans for a major in athletic administration.

Picking Purdue wasn’t all that difficult, although getting to that point was.

He had to decide between his first love, basketball, and football.

“Football is becoming more fun to play,” Stubblefield explained. “It’s easier to play. To stay up in basketball you have to compete year-round just to stay up, especially at the college level.”

Then there was the recruiting process.

Most basketball schools, such as Seton Hall, Virginia and Northwestern, wanted a commitment last summer, as did Washington for football.

“Coaches for both sports asked what I was going to play and I couldn’t tell them. I wanted both,” Stubblefield said.

He saw on the Internet some coaches were saying he chose football, before he decided.

“I understand. They have a business to run,” he said. “If they don’t get the players, they don’t have the year they need and they can get fired. But for the players… . you have to sort it out. My dad helped me decide what’s best for me. I needed to wait it out.”

Mel Stubblefield, a teacher at Davis, was a good player at Whitworth College.

Once Stubblefield decided he had a much better chance to play beyond college in football, Purdue was an easy pick.

“I will get a chance to play,” he said. “There are five or six receivers coming in and two have to play. It’s a great opportunity. If I do get to play, I’ll be playing with a Heisman candidate,” quarterback Drew Brees in a passing offense.

Some old foes would certainly like to see Friday as a good warmup.

This sidebar appeared with the story: TICKETS East-West football

Tickets for Friday’s 7 p.m. game at Albi Stadium are $6 for adults and $4 for students.