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Stanford Cardinal football
File:Stanford plain block "S" logo.svg File:Stanford OLD8.png
First season 1892
Athletic director Bob Bowlsby
Head coach David Shaw
Home stadium Stanford Stadium
Field Foster Field
Year built 1921
Stadium capacity 50,000
Stadium surface Grass
Location Stanford, California
Conference Pac-12
Division Pacific-12 North
All-time record 676–454–52
Postseason bowl record 10–11–1
Claimed national titles 2 (1926, 1940)[1]
Conference titles 12
Heisman winners 1
Consensus All-Americans 27
Current uniform
File:Pac-12-Uniform-SU.png
Colors Cardinal and White            
Fight song "Come Join The Band" (official)
"All Right Now" (de facto)
Mascot Stanford Tree (unofficial)
Marching band Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band
Rivals California Golden Bears
USC Trojans
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Website GoStanford.com

The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program,[2] has a highly successful football tradition. The team is known as the Cardinal, referring to the color, not the bird. The team was known as the Indians from 1930 to 1972 and the Cardinals (also referring to the color) from 1972 to 1981.

Stanford began playing football in 1892, and participated in the first ever Rose Bowl against Michigan in 1902. Its annual Big Game against California is the oldest and most storied rivalry in the Pac-12 and the western United States. The Cardinal also compete for the Legends Trophy against independent rival Notre Dame.

The program has an all-time record of 676–454–52 for a winning percentage of .594 and has winning series records against all of its Pac-12 North rivals, except for the Washington Huskies, against whom they are 38–40–4.[3] Led by legendary coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, who still has the most wins in Cardinal history, Stanford claimed a National Championship in 1926. The 1940 team went unbeaten and untied after defeating Nebraska 21–13 in the 1941 Rose Bowl, but the team ranked #2 in the final AP poll released before the game was played.

Pop Warner's era predated the AP poll, but Stanford has finished at least one season in the Top 10 in six different decades under seven different coaches, including Claude E. Thornhill in 1934, Clark Shaughnessy in 1940, Chuck Taylor in 1951, John Ralston in 1970 and 1971, Bill Walsh in 1992, and Jim Harbaugh in 2010. Stanford's most recent season finish in the top 5 was in 2010 after the #5 Cardinal dismantled ACC Champion Virginia Tech 40–12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl to finish with a school record 12 wins and 1 loss. Stanford finished #4 in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Quarterback Jim Plunkett is the only Stanford player to win the Heisman Trophy, doing so in 1970. Three Stanford players have finished second in Heisman voting: quarterback John Elway was second to Herschel Walker in 1982; running back Toby Gerhart was second to Mark Ingram in 2009; and Andrew Luck finished second in Heisman voting to Cam Newton in 2010. The Cardinal have played in 22 bowl games in their history, including 13 appearances in bowls now comprising the Bowl Championship Series, specifically one in the Orange Bowl and twelve in the Rose Bowl.

Season records[]

Year Coach Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
No Coach (1891)
1891 (None) 3–1
No Coach: 3–1
Walter Camp (1892)
1892 Camp 1–0–2
Camp (1st Stint): 1–0–2
Pop Bliss (1893)
1893 Bliss 8–0–1
Bliss: 8–0–1
Walter Camp (1894–1895)
1894 Camp 6–3
1895 Camp 4–0–1
Camp (2nd Stint): 10–3–1
Camp (Total): 11–3–3
Harry P. Cross (1896)
1896 Cross 2–1–1
Cross (1st Stint): 2–1–1
George H. Brooke (1897)
1897 Brooke 4–1
Brooke: 4–1
Harry P. Cross (1898)
1898 Cross 5–3–1
Cross (2nd Stint): 5–3–1
Cross (Total): 7–4–2
Burr Chamberlain (1899)
1899 Chamberlain 2–5–2
Chamberlain: 2–5–2
Fielding H. Yost (1900)
1900 Yost 7–2–1
Yost: 7–2–1
Charles Fickert (1901)
1901 Fickert 3–2–2 L 0–49 Rose
Fickert: 3–2–2
Carl L. Clemans (1902)
1902 Clemans 6–1
Clemans: 6–1
James F. Lanagan (1903–1905)
1903 Lanagan 8–0–3
1904 Lanagan 7–2–1
1905 Lanagan 8–0
Lanagan: 23–2–4
No Team (Football replaced by rugby) (1906–1917)
No Team (Due to World War I) (1918)
Bob Evans (Pacific Coast Conference) (1919)
1919 Evans 4–3 1–2 5th
Evans: 4–3 1–2
Walter D. Powell (Pacific Coast Conference) (1920)
1920 Powell 4–3 2–1 2nd
Powell: 4–3 2–1
Eugene Van Gent (Pacific Coast Conference) (1921)
1921 Van Gent 4–2–2 1–1 3rd
Van Gent: 4–2–2 1–1
Andrew Kerr (Pacific Coast Conference) (1922–1923)
1922 Kerr 4–5 1–3 T-5th
1923 Kerr 7–2 2–2 T-3rd
Kerr: 11–7 3–5
Pop Warner (Pacific Coast Conference) (1924–1932)
1924 Warner 7–1–1 3–0–1 1st L 10–27 Rose
1925 Warner 7–2 4–1 2nd
1926 Warner 10–0–1 4–0 1st T 7–7 Rose
1927 Warner 8–2–1 4–0–1 T-1st W 7–6 Rose
1928 Warner 8–3–1 4–1–1 3rd
1929 Warner 9–2 5–1 2nd
1930 Warner 9–1–1 4–1 3rd
1931 Warner 7–2–2 2–2–1 T-5th
1932 Warner 6–4–1 1–3–1 7th
Warner: 71–17–8 31–9–5
Claude E. Thornhill (Pacific Coast Conference) (1933–1939)
1933 Thornhill 8–2–1 4–1 T-1st L 0–7 Rose
1934 Thornhill 9–1–1 5–0 1st L 13–29 Rose 2
1935 Thornhill 8–1 4–1 T-1st W 7–0 Rose
1936 Thornhill 2–5–2 2–3–2 6th
1937 Thornhill 4–3–2 4–2–1 2nd
1938 Thornhill 3–6 2–5 8th
1939 Thornhill 1–7–1 0–6–1 9th
Thornhill: 35–25–7 25–18–4
Clark Shaughnessy (Pacific Coast Conference) (1940–1941)
1940 Shaughnessy 10–0 7–0 1st W 21–13 Rose 2
1941 Shaughnessy 6–3 4–3 4th
Shaughnessy: 16–3 11–3
Marchmont Schwartz (Pacific Coast Conference) (1942–1950)
1942 Schwartz 6–4 5–2 3rd 12
No Team (Due to World War II) (1943–1945)
1946 Schwartz 6–3–1 3–3–1 5th
1947 Schwartz 0–9 0–7 10th
1948 Schwartz 4–6 3–4 5th
1949 Schwartz 7–3–1 4–2 T-3rd W 74–20 Pineapple^
1950 Schwartz 5–3–2 2–2–2 T-4th
Schwartz: 28–28–4 17–25–3
Chuck Taylor (Pacific Coast Conference) (1951–1957)
1951 Taylor 9–2 6–1 1st L 7–40 Rose 7 7
1952 Taylor 5–5 2–5 T-6th
1953 Taylor 6–3–1 5–1–1 2nd 17 19
1954 Taylor 4–6 2–4 6th
1955 Taylor 6–3–1 3–2–1 3rd 20 16
1956 Taylor 4–6 3–4 6th
1957 Taylor 6–4 4–3 5th
Taylor: 40–29–2 25–20–2
Jack Curtice (Pacific Coast Conference) (1958)
1958 Curtice 2–8 2–5 7th
Jack Curtice (Athletic Association of Western Universities) (1959–1962)
1959 Curtice 3–7 0–4 5th
1960 Curtice 0–10 0–4 5th
1961 Curtice 4–6 1–3 T-4th
1962 Curtice 5–5 2–3 4th
Curtice: 14–36 5–19
John Ralston (Athletic Association of Western Universities) (1963–1967)
1963 Ralston 3–7 1–4 6th
1964 Ralston 5–5 3–4 5th
1965 Ralston 6–3–1 2–3 T-5th
1966 Ralston 5–5 1–4 8th
1967 Ralston 5–5 3–4 T-4th
John Ralston (Pacific-8 Conference) (1968–1971)
1968 Ralston 6–3–1 3–3–1 T-3rd
1969 Ralston 7–2–1 5–1–1 T-2nd 14 19
1970 Ralston 9–3 6–1 1st W 27–17 Rose 10 8
1971 Ralston 9–3 6–1 1st W 13–12 Rose 16 10
Ralston: 55–36–3 30–25–2
Jack Christiansen (Pacific-8 Conference) (1972–1976)
1972 Christiansen 6–5 2–5 T-6th
1973 Christiansen 7–4 5–2 3rd
1974 Christiansen 5–4–2 5–1–1 2nd
1975 Christiansen 6–4–1 5–2 T-3rd
1976 Christiansen 6–5 5–2 3rd
Christiansen: 30–22–3 22–12–1
Bill Walsh (Pacific-8 Conference) (1977)
1977 Walsh 9–3 5–2 2nd W 24–14 Sun 15 15
Bill Walsh (Pacific-10 Conference) (1978)
1978 Walsh 8–4 4–3 T-4th W 25–22 Bluebonnet 16 17
Walsh (1st Stint): 17–7 9–5
Rod Dowhower (Pacific-10 Conference) (1979)
1979 Dowhower 5–5–1 3–3–1 6th
Dowhower: 5–5–1 3–3–1
Paul Wiggin (Pacific-10 Conference) (1980–1983)
1980 Wiggin 6–5 3–4 T-6th
1981 Wiggin 4–7 4–4 T-6th
1982 Wiggin 5–6 3–5 7th
1983 Wiggin 1–10 1–7 10th
Wiggin: 16–28 11–20
Jack Elway (Pacific-10 Conference) (1984–1988)
1984 Elway 5–6 3–5 T-7th
1985 Elway 4–7 3–5 7th
1986 Elway 8–4 5–3 T-4th L 21–27 Gator
1987 Elway 5–6 4–4 T-4th
1988 Elway 3–6–2 1–5–2 9th
Elway: 25–29–2 16–22–2
Dennis Green (Pacific-10 Conference) (1989–1991)
1989 Green 3–8 3–5 T-7th
1990 Green 5–6 4–4 T-6th
1991 Green 8–4 6–2 T-2nd L 17–18 Aloha 22 22
Green: 16–18 13–11
Bill Walsh (Pacific-10 Conference) (1992–1994)
1992 Walsh 10–3 6–2 T-1st W 24–3 Blockbuster 9 9
1993 Walsh 4–7 2–6 T-8th
1994 Walsh 3–7–1 2–6 T-8th
Walsh (2nd Stint): 17–17–1 10–14
Walsh (Total): 34–24–1 19–19
Tyrone Willingham (Pacific-10 Conference) (1995–2001)
1995 Willingham 7–4–1 5–3 4th L 13–19 Liberty
1996 Willingham 7–5 5–3 3rd W 38–0 Sun
1997 Willingham 5–6 3–5 T-7th
1998 Willingham 3–8 2–6 T-8th
1999 Willingham 8–4 7–1 1st L 9–17 Rose 24
2000 Willingham 5–6 4–4 4th
2001 Willingham 9–3 6–2 T-2nd L 14–24 Seattle 17 16
Willingham: 44–36–1 32–24
Buddy Teevens (Pacific-10 Conference) (2002–2004)
2002 Teevens 2–9 1–7 T-9th
2003 Teevens 4–7 2–6 T-8th
2004 Teevens 4–7 2–6 T-8th
Teevens: 10–23 5–19
Walt Harris (Pacific-10 Conference) (2005–2006)
2005 Harris 5–6 4–4 T-4th
2006 Harris 1–11 1–8 10th
Harris: 6–17 5–12
Jim Harbaugh (Pacific-10 Conference) (2007–2010)
2007 Harbaugh 4–8 3–6 T-7th
2008 Harbaugh 5–7 4–5 T-6th
2009 Harbaugh 8–5 6–3 T-2nd L 27–31 Sun
2010 Harbaugh 12–1 8–1 2nd W 40–12 Orange 4 4
Harbaugh: 29–21 21–15
David Shaw (Pacific-12 Conference) (2011–present)
2011 Shaw 11–2 8–1 T–1st (North) L 38–41 OT Fiesta 7 7
2012 Shaw 12–2 8–1 T-1st (North) W 20-14 Rose 6 7
2013 Shaw 11–3 7–2 T-1st (North) L 20-24 Rose 10 11
Shaw: 34–7 23–4
Total: 605–440–49
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
Indicates BCS bowl, Bowl Alliance or Bowl Coalition game. #Rankings from final Coaches' Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll. ^Stanford considers the 1950 Pineapple Bowl a game of the 1949 regular season

Bowl game appearances and results[]

File:StanfordUniversityFootballOffense2007.jpg

2007 offense lined up for a play

Year and bowl Winning team Losing team Result
1902 Rose Bowl Michigan 49 Stanford 0 Lost
1925 Rose Bowl Notre Dame 27 Stanford 10 Lost
1927 Rose Bowl Stanford 7 Alabama 7 Tied
1928 Rose Bowl Stanford 7 [[{{{school}}}|Pittsburgh]] 6 Won
1934 Rose Bowl Columbia 7 Stanford 0 Lost
1935 Rose Bowl Alabama 29 Stanford 13 Lost
1936 Rose Bowl Stanford 7 SMU 0 Won
1941 Rose Bowl Stanford 21 Nebraska 13 Won
1952 Rose Bowl Illinois 40 Stanford 7 Lost
1971 Rose Bowl Stanford 27 Ohio State 17 Won
1972 Rose Bowl Stanford 13 Michigan 12 Won
1977 Sun Bowl Stanford 24 LSU 14 Won
1978 Bluebonnet Bowl Stanford 25 Georgia 22 Won
1986 Gator Bowl Clemson 27 Stanford 21 Lost
1991 Aloha Bowl Georgia Tech 18 Stanford 17 Lost
1993 Blockbuster Bowl Stanford 24 Penn State 3 Won
1995 Liberty Bowl East Carolina 19 Stanford 13 Lost
1996 Sun Bowl Stanford 38 Michigan State 0 Won
2000 Rose Bowl Wisconsin 17 Stanford 9 Lost
2001 Seattle Bowl Georgia Tech 24 Stanford 14 Lost
2009 Sun Bowl Oklahoma 31 Stanford 27 Lost
2011 Orange Bowl Stanford 40 Virginia Tech 12 Won
Overall record 10–11–1

Coaches by number of victories[]

Coach Total
Games
Coached
Wins Losses Ties Win % Total
Seasons
Coached
# in
Chronological
Order
Warner, Glenn "Pop"Glenn "Pop" Warner 96 71 17 8 .781 9 16
Ralston, JohnJohn Ralston 94 55 36 3 .585 9 22
Willingham, TyroneTyrone Willingham 81 44 36 1 .549 7 30
Taylor, ChuckChuck Taylor 71 40 29 2 .577 7 20
Thornhill, Claude E.Claude E. Thornhill 67 35 25 7 .575 7 17
Walsh, BillBill Walsh 59 34 24 1 .585 5 24/29
Christiansen, JackJack Christiansen 55 30 22 3 .573 5 23
Harbaugh, JimJim Harbaugh 50 29 21 0 .580 4 33
Schwartz, MarchmontMarchmont Schwartz 60 28 28 4 .500 6 19
Elway, JackJack Elway 56 25 29 2 .464 5 27
Lanagan, James F.James F. Lanagan 29 23 2 4 .862 3 11
Green, DennisDennis Green 34 16 18 0 .471 3 28
Wiggin, PaulPaul Wiggin 44 16 28 0 .364 4 26
Shaughnessy, ClarkClark Shaughnessy 19 16 3 0 .742 2 18
Curtice, JackJack Curtice 50 14 36 0 .280 5 21
Shaw, DavidDavid Shaw 12 11 1 0 .917 1 34
Kerr, AndrewAndrew Kerr 18 11 7 0 .611 2 15
Camp, WalterWalter Camp 17 11 3 3 .735 1 1/3
Teevens, BuddyBuddy Teevens 33 10 23 0 .303 3 31
Bliss, C. D. "Pop"C. D. "Pop" Bliss 9 8 0 1 .944 1 2
Yost, Fielding H.Fielding H. Yost 10 7 2 1 .750 1 8
Cross, Harry P.Harry P. Cross 14 7 4 2 .615 2 4/6
Harris, WaltWalt Harris 23 6 17 0 .261 2 32
Clemans, Carl L.Carl L. Clemans 7 6 1 0 .857 1 10
Dowhower, RodRod Dowhower 11 5 5 1 .500 1 25
Van Gent, EugeneEugene Van Gent 8 4 2 2 .625 1 14
Powell, Walter D.Walter D. Powell 7 4 3 0 .571 1 13
Evans, BobBob Evans 7 4 3 0 .571 1 12
Brooke, George H.George H. Brooke 5 4 1 0 .800 1 5
Fickert, CharlesCharles Fickert 7 3 2 2 .571 1 9
Chamberlain, BurrBurr Chamberlain 9 2 5 2 .333 1 7

Individual award winners[]

File:Stanford at UCLA 2010.jpg

Stanford Cardinal playing the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl Stadium

Jim Plunkett – 1970
Jim Plunkett – 1970
Jim Plunkett – 1970
Troy Walters – 1999
Dick Norman – 1959
Guy Benjamin – 1977
Steve Dils – 1978
John Elway – 1982
Jim Plunkett – 1970
Toby Gerhart – 2009
Owen Marecic – 2010

College Football Hall of Fame[]

The following Stanford players and coaches are members of the College Football Hall of Fame:[4]

Pro Football Hall of Famers[]

The following Stanford players are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame:[5]

Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame[]

The following Stanford players and coaches are members of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame:[6]

Stanford's All-Century Team[]

chosen by the Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA, November 18, 1999

Coach
Glenn "Pop" Warner (1924–32)

Offense
QB: Jim Plunkett (1968–70)
RB: Darrin Nelson (1977–81)
RB: Ernie Nevers (1923–25)
TE: Bill McColl (1949–51)
OL: Bob Whitfield (1989–91)
OL: George Buehler (1966–68)
OL: Vic Lindskog (1940–41)
OL: Chuck Taylor (1940–42)
OL: Bob Reynolds (1933–35)
WR: Troy Walters (1996–1999)
WR: Ken Margerum (1977–80)
PK: John Hopkins (1987–90)
UTL:Glyn Milburn (1990–92)

Defense
DL: Pat Donovan (1972–74)
DL: Pete Lazetich (1969–71)
DL: Paul Wiggin (1954–56)
DL: Kailee Wong (1994–97)
LB: Gordy Ceresino (1975–78)
LB: Dave Wyman (1982–84, '86)
LB: Jeff Siemon (1969–71)
DB: Toi Cook (1984–86)
DB: Randy Poltl (1971–73)
DB: Benny Barnes (1970–71)
DB: John Lynch (1990–92)
P: Frankie Albert (1939–41)

Current NFL players[]

The following Stanford players are currently playing in the NFL:[7]

References[]

  1. [1]
  2. In virtually all rankings of U.S. universities, Stanford is rated in the top six with Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, MIT, and Caltech. None of these field an FBS team.
  3. According to College Football Data Warehouse, the all-time series records against the rest of the Pac-12 North are: California, 52–43–10; Oregon, 44–30–1; Oregon State 50–25–3; Washington State 36–25–1.
  4. "Hall of Famers". College Football Hall of Fame. http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  5. "Colleges: Pro Football Hall of Fame". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2007-05-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20070512231518/http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/colleges.html. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  6. "The Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame". Stanford Department of Athletics. http://gostanford.cstv.com/trads/stan-trads-hof.html. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  7. "NFL Colleges: S". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/college?letter=s. Retrieved August 24, 2011.

External links[]

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