San Francisco 49ers UCLA alumnus J.J.
Stokes currently plays for the San Francisco 49ers.
By Christina Teller
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
He keeps the hours of a standard work schedule during the week,
reporting into the office around 8 or 9 a.m. and usually leaving
around 6 p.m. He, along with his colleagues, studies upcoming
game-plans in painstaking detail.
The difference between the career of 49er wide receiver J.J.
Stokes and most working professionals is the fact that his job
performance is rated every Sunday for 16 regular-season weeks a
year, and that his dress code includes cleats, shoulder pads and a
gold and red helmet.
“Most people don’t see professional sports as a full
day, but I have the same hours as a regular job. You’re
studying and learning about your opponent,” Stokes said.
Selected 10th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft by the reigning
Super Bowl champions, Stokes was the only Bruin to go pro from his
college class.
The change from the Pac-10 to the pros has been filled with ups
and downs, but his UCLA career outfitted him with more than just
the skills he learned in practice.
Playing at the mercy of 90,000 cheering Rose Bowl attendees was
one of the most important preparations of all.
“Playing in front of the Rose Bowl gave me experience in
front of huge crowds playing football, so I wasn’t
nervous,” Stokes said. “I think that definitely helps
you play in front of huge crowds because that’s something
that when you do that every week, you step into the pro
ranks.”
 UCLA Sports Information J.J. Stokes runs
with the ball as a UCLA Bruin (1991-94). Stokes, who was the Pac-10
Offensive Player of the Year and 7th in the Heisman Trophy race in
1993, also got more than a taste of the limelight while at UCLA. He
appeared on the Bob Hope Show, was recognized as a Playboy
All-American and had his face plastered on billboards and magazine
covers.
“I understand the motive of the media and what
they’re trying to get done. I’ve been aware of that,
UCLA prepared me for that,” Stokes said.
Because of the attention he received from the media during
college, it’s easier for him to brush off reporter’s
comments now.
Entering the San Francisco scene, he was dubbed as the next
Jerry Rice, only to start his pro career with consecutive years of
injuries.
Healthy again in his third year, Stokes endeared the media and
soon they were back on his bandwagon.
“I’ve had my good times and my bad times,”
Stokes said. “They straddle both sides of the fence and
they’re quick to point out the negative, especially more so
in the pro ranks than the college ranks.”
After his record-setting career at UCLA, including receptions,
receiving and touchdowns, rushing, Stokes has not amassed quite as
many accolades in the pros. For one, he’s playing behind a
future Hall of Famer, wide receiver Jerry Rice.
“I’m still trying to make it happen,” Stokes
told the San Francisco Chronicle this August. “But as you can
see, my opportunities are few and far between. And that frustrates
the hell out of me.”
Stokes’ pro stats currently sit at 3,120 yards and 22
touchdowns in five seasons.
Playing a game for a living is something most people only dream
of. Stokes knows he is lucky to partake in such an endeavor. But he
knows that he’s earned it.
“I worked my butt off and I’m lucky that I got to
get in. I always went the extra mile, I’ve always been a
workaholic. I didn’t always get the best grades, but I can
honestly say that I worked my butt off studying. Go above and
beyond what is needed and you’ll see the results.”
His dedication is what has carried him through his career on the
field. Up against some of the best in college and even more in the
pros, Stokes has survived the media and his bout with injuries to
keep first the blue and gold and now the red and gold jersey on his
6-4, 217 pound frame.
What he hasn’t let go of is the tradition that he was a
part of at UCLA and in the game of college football. He perks up
when the topic of rivalries is breached and even though five years
have passed since Stokes donned the powder blue jersey, the war
against the Trojans remains fresh in his mind.
“Nothing compares to the UCLA-USC rivalry. That’s
something that’s huge and you know that when you first come
in,” Stokes said.
It was the game he always looked forward to in his four
years.
“The city’s pretty much divided and you have fans on
each side screaming and yelling at each other. Everyone’s
competing against each other, the fans, the band, the players, the
coaches, the school in general. It’s our school against your
school. Who’s the better school?
“In college you’re waiting for that last game, that
rivalry game. It’s the city against the city, or the town
against the certain town ““ it’s not the same in the pro
ranks,” Stokes recalled, his voice brimming with
excitement.
And even though there has been a break in the Bruins’
winning streak, Stokes remains confident that they’ll get it
back.
The rivalries in the NFL aren’t as long-standing as those
between universities. But something that does remain as players
move from one level to another is the debate about whether or not
Pac-10 athletes and SEC athletes compare.
Stokes and other 49ers from both the Pac-10 and the SEC watched
the Bruins assert themselves against then-No. 3 Alabama on Sept. 2.
During the game they argued which conference’s players were
superior.
“We talk about whose athletes are better which one’s
a tougher conference and the only time that we get a chance to see
that is when we get to play,” he said.
Stokes personally lived up to his words in 1994, when the Bruins
posted a 25-23 victory over the SEC’s Tennessee.
“J.J. Stokes is one of the premiere players in the
nation,” former UCLA head coach Terry Donahue said in 1994.
“He is as fine a receiver as I have seen in a long time. The
number of yards he gains after his catches because of his speed,
size and strength is what sets him apart from other
receivers.”
Even those in the SEC.
A seven-year contract for $8.4 million finalized Stokes’
step-up into the professional ranks. He stresses to drafted
collegiate athletes that in order to succeed in the NFL, amidst the
money, the press and the demands, the important thing is to remain
true to yourself.
“Keep your head on strong and be the same type of player
and person you were when you were in college,” he said.
“Keeping a level head and a focused mind when it comes to the
money aspect is what sets people over the top as far as who are
they superstars.”
It’s this frame of mind that has helped him adapt to the
faster pace of the pro game, helped him keep his skills as a
receiver well rounded, and his personality approachable.
Up against the best in the world, J.J. Stokes has worked his way
from an injury-plagued start to being the relief for one of the
games’ best. It’s all in a day’s work.