The Journey
Small city.
Big dreams.
The boy from Windsor who was always told he was too small — and answered with 120 youth goals, two scholarships, a decade abroad, and the Maple Leaf on his chest.
The Beginning
A multi-sport kid from the 519
Of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage and one of eight siblings, Stephen grew up competing at everything. At Herman Secondary School he was a four-sport standout — winning WECSSAA senior championships in basketball, football and soccer, reaching the provincial track finals three years running, and being named the conference's offensive football player of the year.
But soccer was the calling. With the Windsor FC Nationals he scored a staggering 120 goals in the Ontario Youth Soccer League, was named League MVP and Top Goal Scorer in 1996–97, and drove the Nationals to back-to-back Ontario Cups in 2000 and 2001.
Windsor FC Nationals · OYSL
goals in the Ontario Youth Soccer League
- League MVP & Top Goal Scorer, 1996–97
- Ontario Cup champion, 2000 & 2001
- Four-sport WECSSAA standout, Herman Secondary
The Scholarship Years
Two full rides. History on both campuses.
At the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Stephen led the team in scoring, was named the school's Top Male Athlete, and took Peach Belt Conference Rookie of the Year honours — the first in program history.
He transferred to Cleveland State University and kept climbing: Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-Horizon as a sophomore, then Horizon League Player of the Year as a junior — ranking 16th in the nation in goals per game and tying a school record with eight points in a single match.
UNC Pembroke → Cleveland State
full-ride NCAA scholarship athlete
- Peach Belt Rookie of the Year — first in program history
- Horizon League Player of the Year
- 16th in the nation in goals per game
The Professional Years · 2004–2022
A decade as a striker, three countries, two continents
Trelleborgs FF Allsvenskan
First professional contract. Named team MVP for the 2005 season — with the standout moment a first goal in the derby against Malmö FF.
Tromsø IL Eliteserien · UEFA Cup
Made history on a European night: Stephen scored the crucial goal at Galatasaray's Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul, sending Tromsø into the UEFA Cup group stage against Roma, Strasbourg, Red Star Belgrade and Basel. Norwegian press dubbed him one of the league's fastest players.
Løv-Ham 1. divisjon
A prolific season: 12 goals and 7 assists in 23 games.
FK Ekranas A Lyga · Champions League qualifying
Named one of the top five players in the country in his first year. Won the 2009 A Lyga title, then the 2010 league-and-cup double, and featured in UEFA Champions League qualifying in 2009 and 2010.
Home soil CSL · NASL · League1 Ontario
Returned to fire in 17 goals in 18 games for the Windsor Stars, signed with the NASL's Atlanta Silverbacks, and went on to play for Detroit City FC, Windsor TFC Stars, Oakville Blue Devils (League1 Ontario Second-Team All-Star, 2017) and WSC Fury.
The Maple Leaf
Five senior caps for Canada. A debut against Luxembourg in 2005, a meeting with the United States in 2006, and the famous shirts of 2010 — Jamaica, Argentina and Venezuela — after first representing his country at the 2004 CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers.
Canada Men's National Team · 2005 – 2010
The Honour
Class of 2023 — Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame
In October 2023, Stephen took his place among the region's greatest athletes, inducted into the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame for a career that carried a small-city kid to the highest levels of the game. Across his decade abroad he appeared in seven UEFA Cup matches and four UEFA Champions League matches — a body of work few Canadian players can claim.
See what he's building nowWindsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame
- Inducted October 28, 2023 · Ciociaro Club
- 7 UEFA Cup & 4 UEFA Champions League appearances
The Book
The Best Kept Secret
Stephen's autobiography — and the first ever published by a Windsor athlete — is the unfiltered story behind the highlights: the doubters, the rejections, the sacrifices, and the relentless work that turned "too small" into a professional career and the national team.
Get the Book