Bill Walsh Legacy Game

Bill Walsh Legacy Game

First contested	October 11, 1900 Stanford 35, San Jose State 0
Number of meetings	68
Most recent meeting	November 29, 2024 San Jose State 34, Stanford 31
Next meeting	November 29, 2024
All-time series	Stanford leads, 52–15–1 (.784)
Largest victory	Stanford, 54–0 (1953) and 57–3 (2011)
Longest win streak	Stanford, 11 (1900–53)
Current streak	San Jose State, 1 (2024–present)

The Bill Walsh Legacy Game is the name given to the San Jose State–Stanford football rivalry. It is a college football rivalry between the San Jose State Spartans football team of San José State University and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. The two teams have played each other 67 times since 1900. The rivalry is currently on hiatus due to non-conference scheduling conflicts. Stanford leads the series 52–14–1.

Historical overview

The series between San Jose State and Stanford began in 1900 with a home-and-home series between the two schools in the same season. Stanford won both games, 35–0 on October 11, 1900, in San Jose and 24–0 on October 24, 1900, at Stanford.

On November 13, 1954, San Jose State defeated Stanford for the first time by a final score of 19–14.

Throughout the over-100-year history of the series, most games in this series have been played at Stanford. Only the 1900, 1995, 2001 and 2006 games have been played in San Jose.

Stanford's longest winning streak in this series is 11, beginning in 1900 and ending in 1953. This win streak covered the first 11 games in the series. San Jose State's longest winning streak is three, achieved from 1981–1983 and again from 1998–2000.

Bill Walsh Legacy Game plaque

The games from 1979 to 1982 pitted Stanford star quarterback John Elway against his father, Jack Elway, who served as the SJSU head football coach from 1979 to 1983. The two teams split the series 2–2, with the younger Elway defeating his father's team in 1979 and 1980, and the elder Jack Elway defeating his son's team in 1981 and 1982.

In 2007, following the death of San Jose State alumnus and former Stanford coach Bill Walsh, the near-annual game played between the two schools was renamed the Bill Walsh Legacy Game.

The 2013 game, a 34–13 win for Stanford, was the final scheduled game between the two schools, reportedly due to the two schools' inability to agree on a home-and-home arrangement for future games.

On July 23, 2014, at the Mountain West Conference football media days event, San Jose State coach Ron Caragher revealed that the two schools were having "initial conversations about resuming their football series by moving to a neutral site at the new Levi's Stadium." San Jose State athletic director Gene Bleymaier later stated: "Even if we have to look out to 2020 and beyond, I'd like to get a long-term agreement in place with Stanford."

On June 22, 2022, Stanford and San Jose State announced an agreement to renew the series with four games: At San Jose State on September 13, 2025; at Stanford on November 28, 2026; at Stanford on November 25, 2028; and at San Jose State on September 1, 2035.  On November 1, 2023, Stanford and San Jose State announced two further additional games to the four already scheduled. They will meet on November 29, 2024, and at Stanford on September 2, 2034. The September 13, 2025, game will now be played at Stanford and the 2026 game was moved up a week to November 21 and will now be played at San Jose.

Game results

San Jose State victories

Stanford victories

Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	October 11, 1900	San Jose, CA	Stanford	35–0
2	October 24, 1900	Stanford, CA	Stanford	24–0
3	September 23, 1933	Stanford, CA	Stanford	27–0
4	September 22, 1934	Stanford, CA	Stanford	48–0
5	September 28, 1935	Stanford, CA	Stanford	35–0
6	September 18, 1948	Stanford, CA	Stanford	26–20
7	September 17, 1949	Stanford, CA	Stanford	49–0
8	September 23, 1950	Stanford, CA	#7 Stanford	33–16
9	September 22, 1951	Stanford, CA	Stanford	26–13
10	November 1, 1952	Stanford, CA	Stanford	35–13
11	November 14, 1953	Stanford, CA	#16 Stanford	54–0
12	November 13, 1954	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	19–14
13	October 29, 1955	Stanford, CA	Stanford	34–18
14	October 13, 1956	Stanford, CA	Stanford	40–20
15	September 21, 1957	Stanford, CA	Stanford	46–7
16	October 31, 1959	Stanford, CA	Stanford	54–38
17	October 15, 1960	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	34–20
18	October 14, 1961	Stanford, CA	Stanford	17–6
19	November 17, 1962	Stanford, CA	Stanford	21–9
20	September 21, 1963	Stanford, CA	Stanford	29–13
21	September 19, 1964	Stanford, CA	Stanford	10–8
22	September 17, 1965	Stanford, CA	Stanford	26–6
23	September 17, 1966	Stanford, CA	Stanford	25–21
24	September 30, 1967	Stanford, CA	Stanford	28–14
25	September 21, 1968	Stanford, CA	Stanford	68–20
26	September 20, 1969	Stanford, CA	#16 Stanford	63–21
27	September 19, 1970	Stanford, CA	#4 Stanford	34–3
28	November 13, 1971	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	13–12
29	September 16, 1972	Stanford, CA	Stanford	44–0
30	September 29, 1973	Stanford, CA	Stanford	23–12
31	September 28, 1974	Stanford, CA	Tie	21–21
32	September 27, 1975	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	36–34
33	September 25, 1976	Stanford, CA	Stanford	28–23
34	November 12, 1977	Stanford, CA	Stanford	31–26
35	September 16, 1978	Stanford, CA	Stanford	38–9

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
36	September 15, 1979	Stanford, CA	Stanford	45–29
37	October 4, 1980	Stanford, CA	#15 Stanford	35–21
38	September 19, 1981	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	28–6
39	September 18, 1982	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	35–31
40	September 24, 1983	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	23–10
41	September 22, 1984	Stanford, CA	Stanford	28–27
42	September 14, 1985	Stanford, CA	Stanford	41–7
43	September 20, 1986	Stanford, CA	Stanford	28–10
44	September 26, 1987	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	24–17
45	October 8, 1988	Stanford, CA	Stanford	44–12
46	September 30, 1989	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	40–33
47	September 29, 1990	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	29–23
48	September 26, 1992	Stanford, CA	#19 Stanford	37–13
49	September 11, 1993	Stanford, CA	#23 Stanford	31–28
50	September 17, 1994	Stanford, CA	Stanford	51–20
51	September 2, 1995	San Jose, CA	Stanford	47–33
52	September 14, 1996	Stanford, CA	Stanford	25–2
53	September 6, 1997	Stanford, CA	#17 Stanford	28–12
54	September 5, 1998	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	35–23
55	October 2, 1999	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	44–39
56	September 9, 2000	Stanford, CA	San Jose State	40–27
57	December 1, 2001	San Jose, CA	#12 Stanford	41–14
58	September 14, 2002	Stanford, CA	Stanford	63–26
59	September 6, 2003	Stanford, CA	Stanford	31–10
60	September 4, 2004	Stanford, CA	Stanford	43–3
61	September 9, 2006	San Jose, CA	San Jose State	35–34
62	September 15, 2007	Stanford, CA	Stanford	37–0
63	September 20, 2008	Stanford, CA	Stanford	23–10
64	September 19, 2009	Stanford, CA	Stanford	42–17
65	September 3, 2011	Stanford, CA	#7 Stanford	57–3
66	August 31, 2012	Stanford, CA	#21 Stanford	20–17
67	September 7, 2013	Stanford, CA	#5 Stanford	34–13
68	November 29, 2024	San Jose, CA	San Jose State	34–31
Series: Stanford leads 52–15–1

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

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