Stanford football to retire #7 - Printable Version
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Stanford football to retire #7 - washingtonismoney - 08-06-2013
https://twitter.com/StanfordFball/status/364806712433184768
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - 82lsju - 08-06-2013
article from gostanford
John Elway will have his famed No. 7 uniform jersey retired by Stanford during halftime of the Nov. 7 home football game against Oregon.
http://www.gostanford.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30600&ATCLID=208960667
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Nan3cy - 08-06-2013
It should be retired jointly for Elway and Toby.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - yvonne - 08-06-2013
and in doing so, it is ignoring the career rushing touchdown leader who almost singlehandedly led his team to a bowl for the first time in eight years.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Farm93 - 08-06-2013
Toby was great, but he knew before he picked #7 that it had a legacy.
Same logic will soon apply to #12. Anyone that picks #12 in the future will know their number will ultimately be retired, but even if they become a three time all-american the number will still be Luck's.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - yvonne - 08-06-2013
So Stanford should slap him in the face and ignore his accomplishments? Toby's collegiate accomplishments were every bit as good as Elway's, and he practically carried the team to a bowl, not to mention nearly upsetting Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - needle - 08-06-2013
I'd hope that the Stanford AD at least had a conversation with Toby before this announcement.
This announcement did get me curious: When was Plunk's number retired?
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Hank 91 - 08-06-2013
(08-06-2013, 12:32 PM)garvin link Wrote:Really lousy decision on Stanford's part. And a really thoughtless slap at a guy who was willing to come to Stanford even when Idiotface was coach.
I disagree. While I do agree that Toby should eventually be honored in some capacity, this is all about timing. The time is right to retire Elway's #7. His NFL career is complete, and he's deep into his career as an NFL executive. Gerhart, meanwhile, is only three years away from Stanford. I don't think we can retire jerseys or erect statues so quickly. Gerhart deserves this honor, but not yet. And there's no reason there can't be a similar ceremony ten years from now to retire his #7 as well. I'd also argue that each player deserves his own day. I think it would be disrespectful to Elway to ask him to share that night with a kid young enough to be his son. (The Yankees famously retired #8 for both Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra (alas, in a single ceremony on the same day) and have two #8s hanging along with the other retired numbers.)
Stanford is doing the right thing by honoring Elway. I trust they will do the right thing and honor Gerhart when the time is right.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - needle - 08-06-2013
FYI, answering my own question, looks like Plunkett's number was retired in 1991, five years after he retired from the NFL (20 years after leaving Stanford).
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Hank 91 - 08-06-2013
(08-06-2013, 01:14 PM)garvin link Wrote:I don't see what the NFL has to do with it. Retiring a Stanford jersey should reflect what was achieved at Stanford. If Greg Camarillo suddenly catches on fire and becomes the all-time leading reciever in NFL history, do we retire his jersey?**
** Camarillo's a nice guy and I root for him like crazy. But.
That wasn't my point. I just think some time has to pass. Gerhart will never build an NFL career to compare to Elway's, but that doesn't in any way diminish what he accomplished at Stanford. Not only does he deserve a uniform retirement, he also deserves at least consideration for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Of course, it would be nice for Elway to mention Gerhart in his speech. Something classy like, "It's an honor to have #7 retired, just like it was an honor to watch Toby Gerhart perform so well with that number a few years ago. I'm sure he'll have a night like this one day soon." (Pause for applause.)
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - washingtonismoney - 08-06-2013
(08-06-2013, 01:14 PM)garvin link Wrote:I don't see what the NFL has to do with it. Retiring a Stanford jersey should reflect what was achieved at Stanford. If Greg Camarillo suddenly catches on fire and becomes the all-time leading reciever in NFL history, do we retire his jersey?**
Better example here is probably Richard Sherman.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Spiny_Norman - 08-06-2013
Standing ovation from me for this honor for John Elway which is richly deserved. As a member of his class, I got to see him play in person a bunch of times including an epic upset vs. #3 Oklahoma and an even more stunning defeat of #1 Washington. He was the most exciting player I have seen in a Stanford uniform (only slightly ahead of his teammate Darrin Nelson). I don't think any other Stanford player in the last 30+ years has created as much excitement and buzz on a college field as John Elway.
I hope that the AD takes the next step and decides to commemorate the retired numbers in a prominent place in the stadium. My suggestion - on the arches behind the northern end of the stadium.
Toby Gerhart was also one of the all-time Stanford greats. He deserves his own jersey retirement ceremony. It should happen after his NFL career is complete when he can attend in person to soak up the warmth and the memories alongside his teammates, family and other people who are important to him.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - needle - 08-06-2013
Quote:I don't see what the NFL has to do with it.
I don't think Elway would be having his number retired by Stanford if he flamed out in the NFL after four or five seasons, due to injury or otherwise. I think the NFL career does have some relevance, though whether it should or shouldn't, I'm less certain.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - FarmBoy - 08-06-2013
It's a strange tradition to wait so long after graduation. I prefer the way many college basketball programs do it: retire the numbers for seniors on the last home game of their senior year. Stanford should avoid even giving the appearance of tying the the recognition to the player's pro career. The number is being retired at Stanford for the player's accomplishments at Stanford.
I also don't love the idea of having this done at a high profile game like the one against the Ducks. Will it be at half time? What if there the game is a blow out in favor of the Ducks? What if there are a ton of Ducks fans in the stand who opt to boo Elway? Maybe having Elway in the locker room will inspire the troops and give them that extra 3% of performance to put them over the top. But there's more down side than upside, IMO.
I hope they retire Toby's #7 down the line as well and I don't think retiring Elway's #7 precludes that. I'm sure the AD has discussed the issue. But it does make it awkward. But if Toby's career trajectory in the NFL doesn't change (ie, improve significantly), do we end up not seeing Toby's number retired? His accomplishments on the Farm are certainly deserving.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - oman - 08-06-2013
Real Good Athletic People Problems.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - Hank 91 - 08-06-2013
Actually, when college basketball players are honored at their final home games -- which happens in dozens of gyms around the country every season -- they're rarely having their jersey numbers retired. Most often they're just receiving a frame with a jersey in it. It's a nice gift, but definitely not the same as having the number retired.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - CowboyIndian - 08-06-2013
Love John and his contributions but this is a bad idea that could be turned into a good one with a Ring of Honor around the stadium mezzanine. That could give both John and Toby their due.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - yvonne - 08-06-2013
How's a ring of honor different from what we have now?
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - SamAtoms1980 - 08-06-2013
(08-06-2013, 12:11 PM)Yvonne link Wrote:So Stanford should slap him in the face and ignore his accomplishments? Toby's collegiate accomplishments were every bit as good as Elway's, and he practically carried the team to a bowl, not to mention nearly upsetting Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl.
That would have been an upset only because Luck, who did just about as much as Toby during the year to get the Cardinal to that game, was out with a bum finger. The line is probably around a pick 'em (or better) if Luck is available.
Re: Stanford football to retire #7 - CowboyIndian - 08-06-2013
(08-06-2013, 04:06 PM)Yvonne link Wrote:How's a ring of honor different from what we have now?
What do we have now?