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.
| 1951 Stanford Indians football | |
|---|---|
PCC champion | |
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 7 |
| AP | No. 7 |
| Record | 9–2 (6–1 PCC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Stanford Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 #3 ranking into the Big Game, where they were 13-point favorites over rival California.[3] 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.[4] 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.[4]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | at Oregon | W 27–20 | ||||
| September 29 | San Jose State* | W 26–13 | ||||
| October 6 | at Michigan* | W 23–13 | 57,200 | [5] | ||
| October 13 | UCLA | No. 19 |
| W 21–7 | 36,000 | |
| October 20 | Santa Clara* | No. 13 |
| W 21–14 | 20,000 | [6] |
| October 27 | at Washington | No. 11 | W 14–7 | 48,343 | ||
| November 3 | No. 16 Washington State | No. 11 |
| W 21–13 | 49,000 | |
| November 10 | at No. 6 USC | No. 7 | W 27–20 | 96,130 | [7][8][9] | |
| November 17 | Oregon State | No. 4 |
| W 35–14 | 40,000 | |
| November 24 | No. 19 California | No. 3 |
| L 7–20 | ||
| January 1, 1952 | vs. No. 4 Illinois | No. 8 | L 7–40 | 96,825 | ||
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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.[10] 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.[11] 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 |