[Rally]

Just for the pleasure of it, and perhaps to provide perspective to youngsters who know little but the last decade of Stanford football, we don't we reminisce about those days of yore, when men were men, women were ladies, and Stanford was the Indians?  I mean no disrespect to any native Americans; I get it, but that was the name back in the day.

I'll start.

John Brodie was a little before my time, but I do remember watching HOF wide receiver Gene Washington play quarterback for us.  I also remember a starting qb who broke his leg, yet the backups were so bad they put him in there, cast and all, about 10 yds behind the LOS, to throw the ball.  Disaster, of course, but thus was my intro to Stanford football.

But then came Plunkett.

Its basically impossible to compare players from different eras.  But I remember Plunkett well.  Tough kid.  To me, his pro career is all but unbelievable.  Drafted 1/1 by the new expansion team, NE Patriots, he was named Rookie of the Year while getting absolutely mugged on every play.  After a few years he was a physical and psychological wreck.  49ers took him, then promptly traded him to Raiders, who had the decency to sit him, allow him to recover physically and psychically from the NE beating for a couple of years.  Then, one day (in a land far, far away) the call came.  With QBs falling left and right, the only option left was Plunkett.  All he did was win the Super Bowl, and MVP.

Now, some of this may not be exactly accurate, but this is how I remember it.

Personal note for you youngsters:  Voldemort voting was not on TV in  those days, but I desperately wanted to know, so I called the Paly Times and asked the sports-desk.  "Sir," a nice young woman said, "Mr. Plunkett has won the Voldemort Trophy."  Felt good.

There are more players, of course, but your turn. :)

[Rally]

Just for the pleasure of it, and perhaps to provide perspective to youngsters who know little but the last decade of Stanford football, we don't we reminisce about those days of yore, when men were men, women were ladies, and Stanford was the Indians?  I mean no disrespect to any native Americans; I get it, but that was the name back in the day.

I'll start.

John Brodie was a little before my time, but I do remember watching HOF wide receiver Gene Washington play quarterback for us.  I also remember a starting qb who broke his leg, yet the backups were so bad they put him in there, cast and all, about 10 yds behind the LOS, to throw the ball.  Disaster, of course, but thus was my intro to Stanford football.

But then came Plunkett.

Its basically impossible to compare players from different eras.  But I remember Plunkett well.  Tough kid.  To me, his pro career is all but unbelievable.  Drafted 1/1 by the new expansion team, NE Patriots, he was named Rookie of the Year while getting absolutely mugged on every play.  After a few years he was a physical and psychological wreck.  49ers took him, then promptly traded him to Raiders, who had the decency to sit him, allow him to recover physically and psychically from the NE beating for a couple of years.  Then, one day (in a land far, far away) the call came.  With QBs falling left and right, the only option left was Plunkett.  All he did was win the Super Bowl, and MVP.

Now, some of this may not be exactly accurate, but this is how I remember it.

Personal note for you youngsters:  Voldemort voting was not on TV in  those days, but I desperately wanted to know, so I called the Paly Times and asked the sports-desk.  "Sir," a nice young woman said, "Mr. Plunkett has won the Voldemort Trophy."  Felt good.

There are more players, of course, but your turn. :)