Stanford Cardinal

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, 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. 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. Stanford players have finished second in Heisman voting a total of four times: 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 both Cam Newton in 2010 and Robert Griffin III in 2011. 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.

Individual award winners

 * Heisman Trophy
 * Jim Plunkett – 1970


 * Maxwell Award
 * Jim Plunkett – 1970


 * Chic Harley Award
 * Jim Plunkett – 1970


 * Fred Biletnikoff Award
 * Troy Walters – 1999


 * Sammy Baugh Trophy
 * Dick Norman – 1959
 * Guy Benjamin – 1977
 * Steve Dils – 1978
 * John Elway – 1982


 * Walter Camp Award
 * Jim Plunkett – 1970


 * Doak Walker Award
 * Toby Gerhart – 2009


 * Paul Hornung Award
 * Owen Marecic – 2010

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


 * Frank Albert
 * John Brodie
 * Chris Burford
 * Walter Camp (coach)
 * Bill Corbus
 * John Elway
 * Hugh "Duke" Gallarneau
 * Bobby Grayson
 * Bob "Bones" Hamilton
 * Andrew Kerr (coach)
 * Bill McColl


 * James "Monk" Moscrip
 * Ernie Nevers
 * Jim Plunkett
 * John Ralston (coach)
 * Bob Reynolds
 * Clark Shaughnessy (coach)
 * Jeff Siemon
 * Chuck Taylor
 * Pop Warner (coach)
 * Paul Wiggin
 * Fielding H. Yost (coach)

Pro Football Hall of Famers
The following Stanford players are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame:


 * John Elway
 * James Lofton
 * Ernie Nevers

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: Frank Albert (1939–41)

Current NFL players
The following Stanford players are currently playing in the NFL:


 * Oshiomogho Atogwe – Washington Redskins
 * Doug Baldwin – Seattle Seahawks
 * Chase Beeler – San Francisco 49ers
 * Brian Bulcke – San Francisco 49ers
 * Greg Camarillo – Minnesota Vikings
 * Kirk Chambers – Buffalo Bills
 * Jim Dray – Arizona Cardinals
 * Trent Edwards – Oakland Raiders
 * Pannel Egboh – Tennessee Titans
 * Sione Fua -Carolina Panthers
 * Toby Gerhart – Minnesota Vikings
 * Amon Gordon – Kansas City Chiefs
 * Derek Hall – San Francisco 49ers
 * Thomas Keiser – Carolina Panthers
 * Matt Kopa – Miami Dolphins
 * Erik Lorig – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Owen Marecic – Cleveland Browns
 * Evan Moore – Cleveland Browns
 * Konrad Reuland – San Francisco 49ers
 * Richard Sherman – Seattle Seahawks
 * Alex Smith – Cleveland Browns
 * Will Svitek – Atlanta Falcons
 * Leigh Torrence – New Orleans Saints
 * Ryan Whalen – Cincinnati Bengals
 * Nate Whitaker – Minnesota Vikings
 * Coy Wire – Atlanta Falcons