[Goose]

Some of this is not quite accurate. Bunce was not at all a pro pocket passer. He and Plunkett were very different. Bunce was a rugby player who could throw the ball. It makes Ralston look better, because he could win with both guys. We were all expecting disaster when Plunkett graduated. As far as Ralston having "great talent all around", no, he didn't. He had a few very great players and many other guys who played better than they were. Randy Vataha wasn't a "prototypical" wide receiver and would never be a 5 star HS athlete. John Sande was actually too small to play center and had to work like hell to make weight. Jack Schultz was a running back converted to a safety because there was nobody else (sound familiar?). The only defensive player drafted from the 1971 team was Dave Tipton. Ralston had to win with what he had, which was far from perfect.

Au contraire sir. DT Greg Sampson drafted 6th overall and shifted to OT. Jeff Siemon drafted 10th overall to play MLB for the Vikings right off the bat. Barnes played seven or eight years starting in the Cowboy secondary.

Year issue. I should have said 1971 Rose Bowl Team. That was Tipton's year. The 1972 Rose Bowl Team had Sampson, Siemon,  Lazetich and Butler drafted off the defense. Barnes was not drafted, but had a great career. Interestingly enough, he could back pedal much much faster than I could run forward. That was truly humbling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Stanf...tball_team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Stanf...tball_team

[Goose]

Some of this is not quite accurate. Bunce was not at all a pro pocket passer. He and Plunkett were very different. Bunce was a rugby player who could throw the ball. It makes Ralston look better, because he could win with both guys. We were all expecting disaster when Plunkett graduated. As far as Ralston having "great talent all around", no, he didn't. He had a few very great players and many other guys who played better than they were. Randy Vataha wasn't a "prototypical" wide receiver and would never be a 5 star HS athlete. John Sande was actually too small to play center and had to work like hell to make weight. Jack Schultz was a running back converted to a safety because there was nobody else (sound familiar?). The only defensive player drafted from the 1971 team was Dave Tipton. Ralston had to win with what he had, which was far from perfect.

Au contraire sir. DT Greg Sampson drafted 6th overall and shifted to OT. Jeff Siemon drafted 10th overall to play MLB for the Vikings right off the bat. Barnes played seven or eight years starting in the Cowboy secondary.

Year issue. I should have said 1971 Rose Bowl Team. That was Tipton's year. The 1972 Rose Bowl Team had Sampson, Siemon,  Lazetich and Butler drafted off the defense. Barnes was not drafted, but had a great career. Interestingly enough, he could back pedal much much faster than I could run forward. That was truly humbling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_Stanf...tball_team
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Stanf...tball_team