Along the lines, Stanford football can be looked at as more contemporary than ancient (football program est. in 1891). Up until Jim Harbaugh and current HC David Shaw stepped foot on The Farm, Stanford had no bragging rights. At the turn of the 21st century, however, Stanford would be dealt some success in terms of a win-loss resume and a New Age approach to recruiting young, hungry and dynamic young men to represent itself in Division I football.
Over the past ten years with a new agenda, Stanford Cardinal football and Shaw have introduced some key names to the program, of which 20-plus of them deserve all-decade accolades.
Stanford Cardinal Football: All-Decade Team (2007-17)
Offense
Offensive Line
OG David DeCastro
OG Nate Herbig
OT Andrus Peat
OT A.T. Hall
C Chase Beeler
Wide Receivers
172 receptions, 2,125 yards, 15 touchdowns; 39 rush attempts, 334 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
72 receptions, 1,160 yards, 14 touchdowns
96 receptions, 1,360 yards, 13 touchdowns
140 receptions, 1,884 yards, 7 touchdowns
Tight End
96 receptions, 1,543 yards, 18 touchdowns
Running Backs
671 carries, 3,522 yards, 44 touchdowns
843 carries, 4,300 yards, 40 touchdowns; 97 receptions, 778 receiving yards, 5 receiving touchdowns
632 carries, 3,922 yards, 21 touchdowns; 99 receptions, 1,206 receiving yards, 10 receiving touchdowns
403 carries, 3,126 yards, 24 touchdowns; 29 receptions, 366 yards, 2 receiving touchdowns
Quarterbacks
713-of-1,024 pass attempts-completions, 9,430 yards, 82 touchdowns, 22 interceptions; 163 rush attempts, 957 rush yards, 7 rush touchdowns
727-of-1,103 pass attempts-completions, 9,385 yards, 75 touchdowns, 29 interceptions; 315 rush attempts, 1,249 rush yards, 15 rush touchdowns
Defense
Defensive Line
DT Sione Fua
57 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks
153 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks
51 tackles, 3 tackles for loss
98 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks
DE Aziz Shittu
77 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks
Linebackers
308 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks
229 tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss, 27.5 sacks, 2 interceptions
160 tackles, 52.5 tackles for loss, 32.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 defensive touchdowns
Safeties
Delano Howell
190 tackles, 7 interceptions
170 tackles, 14 passes defended, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions
Cornerbacks
113 tackles, 6 interceptions, one defensive touchdown
115 tackles, 17 passes defended, 7 interceptions, 2 defensive touchdowns
Special Teams
54-of-54 XP attempts-made, 21-of-26 FG attempts-made, 117 points
117 punts, 5,109 yards
PR Christian McCaffrey
56 kick returns, 1,479 yards, kick return touchdown; 34 punt returns, 380 yards, punt return touchdown
KR Chris Owusu
78 returns, 2,132 yards, 3 touchdowns
To some, the Pac-12 is background noise, especially when you’re talking about manufacturing NFL talent. Arguably so, Stanford is one of the most underrated college programs (outside of those in the SEC) that isn’t sticking to that stigma. Like many other Division I schools throughout their years, Stanford has churned out its own talent, players like John Elway and coaches, like Pop Warner.
Thanks to Stanford, today’s NFL has huddled around personalities Richard Sherman, Christian McCaffrey and David DeCastro and many other Stanford grads. Whether it’s about being ranked at the top of every statistical category or about being a pioneer in one of the most gawked at conferences in college football, the Stanford Cardinal are slowly morphing into a breeding ground for bar-setting and goal-achieving linebackers, running backs and tight ends.
College stats provided by Sports Reference, unless otherwise noted.