John Stephens, 43; Patriots back was ’88 Rookie of Year

A native of a tiny Louisiana town and a player at a minor division college a few hours down the road in Natchitoches, Mr. Stephens was relatively unknown when Raymond Berry’s Patriots picked him in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft, 17th overall.

Anonymity would not last long.

Inserted into the starting lineup in game three against the Buffalo Bills, Mr. Stephens would carry the Patriots offense on his rookie shoulders the rest of the season. In the process, he ran for 1,168 yards - a Patriots rookie record then, tops among rookies that season, and second overall in the AFC. He also scored four touchdowns.

“He had a fantastic rookie year. For that period of time that he had success as a running back, there was nobody better,’’ Andre Tippett, hall of famer and Patriots executive director of community affairs, said Wednesday night. “It was amazing watching him. He really kind of shocked everybody when he came into the league. He brought it. He was a tough competitor. It was special watching him run.’’

In addition to the Rookie of the Year honors, he was selected as a starter for the AFC team in the Pro Bowl.

His style was not flashy. Teammates marveled at his quickness at reaching any hole in the defensive line and at his relentless, punishing drive through would-be tacklers.

“He would be a tremendous linebacker,’’ Berry said in 1988. “We open the preseason with him on special teams against Atlanta, and you can hear his tackles bouncing all over the stadium. He’s assisting on a tackle and then he’s causing a fumble.’’

That year, he also received the first Gale Sayers Humanitarian Citation, given to the NFL rookie who did the most for his community. He was honored for his work with the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center.

That 1988 season, however, would be the pinnacle of his career. He was the Patriots’ leading rusher the next two seasons but would not pass 1,000 yards again in his career. In the 1991 season, he lost his starting halfback position to Leonard Russell and switched to the starting fullback position.

He played for the Patriots until 1992, and then spent time with Green Bay, Atlanta, and Kansas City before retiring with 3,440 career yards.

John Milton Stephens was born in Shreveport, La., and grew up in the tiny town of Spring Hill near the Arkansas border. Much of the fire, toughness, and drive he exhibited on the field came from a difficult childhood, his family told The Boston Globe in 1989.

When he was 3, his father, a lifelong petty criminal, was stabbed to death with an ice pick in prison. When John Stephens was 12, he was shot in the back and head with a shotgun blast from an angry farmer, his family said. The boy had been trying to separate his Great Dane after it had attacked the farmer’s dog. Family members said the boy came home and went to bed before being rescued by his mother and taken to the hospital.

When he was 15, he left home.

“You can always take something bad and turn it into a motivating technique,’’ Mr. Stephens said.

In high school, he was an offensive guard and linebacker until his senior year, when the star running back injured his knee and Mr. Stephens stepped in. He was named the MVP in the state, rushing for 1,984 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns that season.

“Instead of using his stiff-arm, John Milton will give you that fist of his,’’ said Wilbert Flanigan, one of his high school coaches. “He will take a shot at you to take out his frustration, and whoever the recipient is, it might be detrimental.’’

At Northwestern State, he set records for carries and yardage.

After his professional career, Mr. Stephens returned to Spring Hill and had a spate of legal troubles.

In 1994, according to an affidavit released to the Globe by the Parish of Caddo in Louisiana, Mr. Stephens was arrested and charged with rape in Jackson County, Mo. He pleaded guilty and was placed on probation. After that, he had several fugitive from justice complaints and driving arrests.

Most recently, Mr. Stephens was facing another rape charge, after a 51-year-old woman accused him of sexually assaulting her on April 29 outside of Shreveport, He was arrested and later released on $100,000 bond. The charge was pending when he died.

According to the Associated Press, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Mr. Stephens apparently lost control of his truck on Louisiana Highway 169 near Pine Orchard about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cindy Chadwick, Sheriff’s spokeswoman, said Mr. Stephens was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from his 2004 Chevrolet truck after it hit a patch of trees.

Funeral arrangements are pending.