1951 Stanford Indians football team

1951 Stanford Indians football
PCC champion
Rose Bowl, L 7–40 vs. Illinois
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record9–2 (6–1 PCC)
Head coach
Home stadiumStanford Stadium
1951 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Stanford $ 6 – 1 – 0 9 – 2 – 0
No. 17 UCLA 4 – 1 – 1 5 – 3 – 1
No. 12 California 5 – 2 – 0 8 – 2 – 0
USC 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
No. 18 Washington State 4 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Oregon State 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Washington 1 – 5 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Oregon 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Idaho 0 – 3 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1951 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1951 college football season. Stanford was led by first-year head coach Chuck Taylor. The team was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

The 1950 season had ended in disappointing fashion after high expectations and a fast start. Head coach Marchmont Schwartz had resigned following the season,[1] and to replace him, Stanford hired Chuck Taylor, a former Stanford All-American guard and member of Stanford's undefeated 1940 team which defeated Nebraska in the 1941 Rose Bowl.[2]

Led by the passing attack of senior quarterback Gary Kerkorian and senior end Bill McColl, Stanford ran out to a 9–0 start and took a No. 3 ranking into the Big Game, where they were 13-point favorites over rival California. Cal upset the Indians 20–7, but as PCC champions, Stanford was invited to the 1952 Rose Bowl against Big Ten champion and 4th-ranked Illinois.[3] The Indians led at halftime 7–6 and trailed only 13–7 to start the fourth quarter, but a 27-point scoring outburst gave the Fighting Illini a convincing 40–7 victory.[3]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22at Oregon
W 27–2023,894[4]
September 29San Jose State*
W 26–1320,000[5]
October 6at Michigan*
W 23–1357,200[6]
October 13UCLANo. 19
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 21–735,000[7]
October 20Santa Clara*No. 13
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 21–1420,000[8]
October 27at WashingtonNo. 11
W 14–743,500[9]
November 3No. 16 Washington StateNo. 11
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 21–1349,000[10]
November 10at No. 6 USCNo. 7
W 27–2096,130[11][12][13]
November 17Oregon StateNo. 4
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 35–1445,000[14]
November 24No. 19 CaliforniaNo. 3
L 7–2090,000[15]
January 1, 1952vs. No. 4 IllinoisNo. 8
L 7–4096,825[16]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • Source: [17]

Aftermath

Taylor, at 31 the youngest major college football coach, was named AFCA Coach of the Year, the only time a Stanford coach has received the award.[18] In addition to numerous awards, McColl was a Consensus All-American, finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, and would go on to a seven-year professional career with the Chicago Bears.[19] Kerkorian was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and backed up Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts.

Players drafted by the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Bill McColl End 3 32 Chicago Bears
Bob Meyers Halfback 16 190 San Francisco 49ers
Dick Horn Quarterback 17 194 Dallas Texans
Gary Kerkorian Quarterback 19 222 Pittsburgh Steelers
Harry Hugasian Halfback 21 242 Dallas Texans

[20]

References

  1. ^ "Schwartz out at Stanford". Miami News. December 30, 1950. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  2. ^ "Chuck Taylor is new grid coach at Stanford U". The Modesto Bee. February 3, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Migdol, Gary (1997). Stanford: Home of Champions. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 116. ISBN 1-57167-116-1.
  4. ^ "Len's Ducks give big red scare all the way". The Humboldt Times. September 23, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Indians roll over Spartans". Oakland Tribune. September 30, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Hal Middlesworth (October 7, 1951). "M Falls Again, 23–13: Wolverines Get First Touchdown". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mathias is star in 21–7 Indian win over Bruins". The Fresno Bee. October 14, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Harry M. Haywar (October 21, 1951). "Mathias Booms 18 to Snap Tie, Win Game". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 32, 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Still unbeaten Cards top Huskies". San Francisco Chronicle. October 28, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Indians add WSC scalp on 21–13 win". The Sacramento Union. November 4, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Orman, Ed (November 11, 1951). "Stanford Beats USC, 27–20, As Mathias Stars". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. p. 1A. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
  12. ^ Orman, Ed (November 11, 1951). "Mathais Goes 96 Yards As Indians Trip USC In Whirlwind Rally, 27-20 (continued)". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. p. 1S. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
  13. ^ Orman, Ed (November 11, 1951). "Kerkorian Air Shots Wreck SC (continued)". The Fresno Bee. Fresno, California. p. 2S. Retrieved January 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
  14. ^ "Indians Rose Bowl bound; Beat Beavers". Santa Cruz Sentinel. November 18, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "California hands Tribe first loss". Press-Telegram. November 25, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Illinois sweeps to 40–7 win over Stanford". The Arizona Daily Star. January 2, 1952. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "1951 Stanford Cardinal Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  18. ^ "Matson, Taylor, McColl honored". The Register-Guard. November 19, 1951. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  19. ^ "1951 Heisman Trophy Voting". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  20. ^ "1952 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
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