Kordell Stewart was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 16th, 1972 to Robert and Florence Stewart. Kordell grew up in Marrero, a suburb of New Orleans, where his father was a barber, house-painter, and carpenter. Growing up was difficult for Stewart, who would lose his mother at age 11 to liver cancer. Kordell would spend his free time helping his father in his various endeavors, as well as handling cooking, chores, and laundry on the home front. Stewart wouldn’t pick up a football competitively until his junior year of high school.
Undeterred by his late start, Kordell quickly demonstrated his talents in his first season, throwing for 1,645 yards and nineteen touchdowns. In his senior year, he would put on a more dynamic showing in a new option-attack; throwing for 942 years and seventeen touchdowns, while running for 923 yards and 23 touchdowns. Kordell would be named Louisiana’s Most Valuable Player and New Orleans Player of the Year, making him one of the top prospects in the country.
