1963 Stanford Indians football team

1963 Stanford Indians football
Conference	Athletic Association of Western Universities
1963 record	3–7–0 (1–4 AAWU)
Head coach	John Ralston (1st season)
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons

1963 AAWU football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Washington †	4	–	1	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
USC	3	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
UCLA	2	–	2	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Washington State	1	–	1	–	0			3	–	6	–	1
California	1	–	3	–	0			4	–	5	–	1
Stanford	1	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
† – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1963 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1963 NCAA football season. The team was led by new head coach John Ralston. Ralston succeeded Jack Curtice, who had been fired at the end of the previous season. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Schedule

Date	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	Result
September 21*	San Jose State		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 29–13
September 28*	Oregon		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	L 7–36
October 5	UCLA		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	L 9–10
October 12*	at Rice		Rice Stadium • Houston, TX	L 13–23
October 19	at Washington		Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 11–19
October 26*	Notre Dame		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Rivalry)	W 24–14
November 2*	at Oregon State		Parker Stadium • Corvallis, OR	L 7–10
November 9	at USC		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	L 11–25
November 16*	Washington State		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	L 15–32
November 30	California		Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (66th Big Game)	W 28–17
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from AP Poll.

Game notes

California

by Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 0 14 0 17 • Indians 0 3 12 13 28 Date: November 30 Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA Game attendance: 82,000 Scoring summary 1 CAL Tom Blanchfield 37-yard field goal CAL 3–0 2 STAN Braden Beck 36-yard field goal Tied 3–3 3 STAN Steve Thurlow 5-yard run (run failed) STAN 9–3 3 CAL Jim Blakeney 7-yard run (Tom Blanchfield kick) CAL 10–9 3 CAL Tom Blanchfield 69-yard punt return (Tom Blanchfield kick) CAL 17–9 3 STAN Ken Babajian 1-yard run (run failed) CAL 17–15 4 STAN Braden Beck 48-yard field goal STAN 18–17 3 STAN Steve Thurlow 5-yard run (Braden Beck kick) STAN 25–17 4 STAN Braden Beck 46-yard field goal STAN 28–17

The 66th Big Game was scheduled for November 23, but after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, like nearly all sporting events, the game was canceled and rescheduled for the following week. Stanford was winless in the conference coming in to the game, and following a California punt return for a touchdown, were behind their rival 17–9 late in the second half. But the Indians fought back, scoring the last 19 points in the game on two touchdowns and two field goals to win the game.

Players drafted by the NFL/AFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL/AFL Club
Steve Thurlow	Running back	2	25	New York Giants
Bob Nichols	Tackle	9/18	122/142	Pittsburgh Steelers/Houston Oilers
Dick Leeuwenburg	Tackle	11/17	154/134	Chicago Bears/Houston Oilers
Marv Harris	Linebacker	13	175	Los Angeles Rams