Bruce Stephens was born in Cardale, Manitoba on May 16, 1951. Stephens was part of Cardale’s 1968 Manitoba and Western Canada Midget championship team. A few years later, in 1972, he was on Manitoba’s junior representative team for the Nationals. That same year, he was rookie and all-star catcher in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League (MSBL) with the Binscarth Orioles, who were league and provincial champions. In 1973, Stephens moved to Deloraine. While he was there, he played and coached for the Royals of the Southwest League for many seasons. He was a perennial all-star, and a five-time league batting champion. His Royals won the 1983 Western Canada Championship. While he was playing in this league, he also coached minor ball. Stephens led Deloraine’s first Provincial Championship pee wee team. Over the course of his career, he represented Manitoba at Westerns and Nationals ten times as a player or coach. Stephens also served Baseball Manitoba as treasurer and coaching clinician for many years.
