The Greatest Moments in Stanford Football History

The “Vow Boys” arrived on Stanford’s campus in 1932 and promised never to lose to USC, which had been the Indians’ tormentor. They never did, beating the Trojans from 1933-35. (Freshmen weren’t eligible to play back then.) But the Boys couldn’t win a Rose Bowl until the ’36 game, when they defeated an SMU team that had whipped Sammy Baugh’s TCU Horned Frogs, 7-0. Bill Paulman scored the game’s only TD on a short run.

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California held a 28-23 lead with 9:23 remaining, when Jim Plunkett and Stanford took over on their own 20. Plunkett, who finished with 381 yards passing, directed a 12-play TD drive that culminated with a Howie Williams four-yard run and featured only one pass. Although Stanford’s two-point conversion failed, Cal didn’t score again, and the Indians prevailed, 30-28.

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Only 0:26 remained when Jim Breech drilled the point-after that gave California a 20-19 lead over Stanford in “The Big Game.” Steve Bartkowski’s 13-yard TD pass to Steve Rivera had given Breech the chance to lift the Bears in front. As the Cal fans celebrated, Stanford roared down the field, and with time running out, Mike Langford – who had missed a PAT earlier – nailed a 50-yard field goal to give Stanford a 22-20 victory.

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Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett proved he is completely deserving of the award by completing 20-of-30 passes for 265 yards to lead Stanford to a shocking 27-17 win over second-rated Ohio State.

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Michigan entered the Rose Bowl 11-0 and ranked fourth, while Stanford had dropped three games. When the Wolverines took a 10-3 lead, it appeared as if Stanford’s inevitable fall was close at hand. But led by QB Don Bunce and the “Thunderchickens” defense, the Indians fought back and prevailed, 13-12, on a 31-yard field goal by Rod Garcia with 0:12 remaining.

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