EDITOR’S NOTE, posted Sept. 9, 2020: This story has been updated to reflect information released Wednesday afternoon by Central Catholic:
Jamain Stephens was a big guy whose size — 6 feet 3, 355 pounds — was somehow eclipsed by his even bigger smile and gregarious personality.
“It was universal,” said Terry Totten, Mr. Stephens’ high school football coach. “He lit up a room. Whether you were a freshman or senior in class, you knew who he was.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Stephens, the guy known to everyone simply as “Juice,” died. He was 20 years old.
Mr. Stephens’ death was initially believed to be from COVID-19 complications, according to a Facebook post Tuesday from Central Catholic. But on Wednesday, the school said it “mistakenly attributed his death without official confirmation on cause” and apologized for the error.
Mr. Stephens, a 2017 Central Catholic graduate, was a senior at California University of Pennsylvania and a defensive tackle on the school’s football team. A business administration major and honor roll student, Mr. Stephens appeared in 32 games in three seasons. He would have turned 21 on Sept. 21.
“Jamain was such a wonderful student with a smile on his face every time you saw him,” California athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe said in a release. “His personality was contagious and he made such a positive impact on everyone he met.”
GEN: Cal U mourns the loss of senior football player Jamain Stephens https://t.co/yrL45ndo9k
— Cal U Athletics (@calvulcans) September 8, 2020
Mr. Stephens grew up in Stanton Heights. His father, also named Jamain, was a first-round draft pick by the Steelers in 1996 and played five seasons in the NFL. In addition to his father, Mr. Stephens is survived by his mother, Kelly Allen, and two siblings.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for funeral expenses.
There was an outpouring of emotion regarding the younger Stephens’ death on social media, which spoke loudly to how beloved he was in the Central Catholic community and beyond. Among those mourning the loss was former Central Catholic teammate A.J. Beatty. He is a few years younger but said Mr. Stephens was the first person to welcome him at the school.
“He was such a positive person that really cared about everyone,” said Mr. Beatty, now a freshman football player at the University of North Carolina. “Every single person at Central knew ‘Juice.’ He had the ability to take over an entire room of people with his positive energy. One of the few people in life that you will meet that there’s nothing to say bad about. Did so much for the Central community. It was truly amazing. Such an awesome person all around.”
As a senior at Central Catholic, Mr. Stephens was a starting lineman on the team’s “Chain Gang” defense. The Vikings won the WPIAL Class 6A title and reached the PIAA final. One of his classmates was Damar Hamlin, who now plays at Pitt.
Mr. Hamlin tweeted: “Got out of practice & heard the worst news. Broken heart. The most genuine & caring soul on this planet. You touched so many w/ love & laughs. Cherish y’all brothers while they still here ... you’ll be missed dearly”
In addition to wearing a huge smile, Mr. Stephens also wore big shoes — size 19. Mr. Totten said they had to get his cleats from the Steelers. Mr. Stephens could dead lift more than 700 pounds, but he wasn’t just big. He could also move well and was a good athlete.
One of Mr. Stephens’ biggest football highlights came when Mr. Totten inserted him into a game as a fullback late in his senior season. Mr. Stephens responded by scoring his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run. It led to loud chants “Juice, Juice, Juice” from the stands. In addition, earlier this year, Mr. Stephens posted two videos of himself on Twitter, one catching footballs with one hand and the other playing basketball.
Get him off the line & put him out WIDE 👀 (via @StephensJamain) pic.twitter.com/QamqWOuHUJ
— Overtime (@overtime) July 13, 2020
Told y’all big dudes can step on the court too and since so many people wanna hate...tag @espn @overtime @bleacherreport @overtimeszn and let’s see if they pick this up 😌 pic.twitter.com/p4H3x0CYMq
— Jamain Stephens (@StephensJamain) July 21, 2020
J.J. Younger is another former Central Catholic football standout who graduated the same year as Mr. Stephens. He remembers him as an outstanding athlete, but even more so a special person.
“He really motivated and inspired people to not procrastinate,” said Mr. Younger, who now plays at Lafayette College. “He would always tell people to not waste a day and would always tell people he loved them because you never know what’s going to happen the next day. That’s what’s crazy about this.”
Mr. Stephens’ death was another blow to a Central Catholic community that has lost some popular members in recent months. One of them was recent graduate Terrell Pollard, who died last week after a long fight with brain cancer. Mr Pollard will be buried Wednesday.
Mr. Stephens might be gone, but those who knew him well say he won’t be forgotten.
“He was one heck of a kid,” Mr. Totten said. “Kind, intelligent, funny. He was electric. I don’t know how he got the nickname ‘Juice,’ but he was always ‘Juice’ around here. People just flocked to him.”
“Jamain was the embodiment of everything a Central Catholic student should be: kind, gentle, giving, faithful and a friend to all,” the school said. “We pray for Jamain and his friends and family during this terrible time.”
Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @BREAL412.
First Published: September 8, 2020, 9:30 p.m.