1953 Stanford Indians football team
American college football season
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The 1953 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1953 college football season. The team was led by Chuck Taylor in his third year, and by quarterback Bobby Garrett, who would win the season's W. J. Voit Memorial Trophy as most outstanding player on the Pacific Coast, and was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the first pick of the NFL draft at the end of the season.
| 1953 Stanford Indians football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 17 |
| AP | No. 19 |
| Record | 6–3–1 (5–1–1 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. 5 UCLA $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Stanford | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | Pacific (CA)* | L 20–25 | 10,500 | [1] | ||
| September 26 | Oregon |
| W 7–0 | 14,500 | [2] | |
| October 3 | Illinois* | L 21–33 | 32,737 | [3] | ||
| October 10 | at Oregon State | W 21–0 | 8,005 | [4] | ||
| October 17 | No. 4 UCLA |
| W 21–20 | 45,000 | [5] | |
| October 24 | at Washington | No. 20 | W 13–7 | 39,000 | [6] | |
| October 31 | Washington State | No. 17 |
| W 48–19 | 18,500 | [7] |
| November 7 | at No. 17 USC | No. 11 | L 20–23 | 79,015 | [8] | |
| November 14 | San Jose State* | No. 16 |
| W 54–0 | 12,000 | [9] |
| November 21 | California | No. 16 |
| T 21–21 | 92,500 | [10] |
Game summaries
California
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Indians | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
- Date: November 21
- Location: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
- Game attendance: 92,500
| 2 | STAN | Sam Morley 5 yard-pass from Bobby Garrett (Garrett kick) | STAN 7–0 | |
| 2 | CAL | Don Whyte 8-yard run (Paul Larson kick) | Tied 7–7 | |
| 3 | STAN | Barry Smith recovered fumble in end zone (Garrett kick) | STAN 14–7 | |
| 3 | STAN | Garrett 54-yard interception return (Garrett kick) | STAN 21–7 | |
| 3 | CAL | Larson 19-yard run (Larson kick) | STAN 21–14 | |
| 4 | CAL | Al Talley 3-yard run (Larson kick) | Tied 21–21 | |
With a win in the Big Game, Stanford would earn a berth in the 1954 Rose Bowl. California had not lost a Big Game since 1946, and this game was no exception: California intercepted quarterback Garrett five times and scored twice late to force a 21–21 tie. The tie, coupled with UCLA's victory over rival USC, denied the Indians a second Rose Bowl appearance in three years.[13][14]
Players drafted by the NFL
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Bobby Garrett | Quarterback | 1 | 1 | Cleveland Browns |
| John Steinberg | End | 10 | 113 | New York Giants |
| Sam Morley | End | 20 | 236 | Washington Redskins |
| Marv Tennefoss | End | 24 | 279 | Green Bay Packers |