1982 Stanford Cardinal football team
Encyclopedia
The 1982 Stanford Cardinal football
team represented Stanford University
in the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season
.
's last football game at Stanford was one of the most famous games of all time, the 1982 Big Game
versus California
(also known as Cal), which ended with "The Play
." It was a play with five lateral pass
es that allowed Cal to win the game.
After that game, Elway congratulated the trombone player that got run over. Although Elway never led his team to a bowl game
, he had an accomplished college career. In his four seasons (1979–1982) at Stanford, he completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns. Stanford had a 20–23 record during his tenure. Elway's 24 touchdown passes in 1982 led the nation, and he graduated with nearly every Stanford and Pacific-10 career record for passing and total offense.
He won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors for the second time in 1982, and was a consensus All-America
n. In addition, he finished second in Heisman Trophy
balloting as a senior.
!colspan=8| Non-Conference Schedule
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!colspan=8| Conference Schedule
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
team represented Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season
1982 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1982 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Paul "Bear" Bryant retire as head coach at Alabama with 323 career victories in 38 seasons.The Penn State Nittany Lions won their first consensus national championship, closing out an 11-1 season by defeating Georgia and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel...
.
Regular season
John ElwayJohn Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
's last football game at Stanford was one of the most famous games of all time, the 1982 Big Game
Big Game (football)
The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. It is typically played in late November or early December...
versus California
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
(also known as Cal), which ended with "The Play
The Play
The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the and the Stanford University Cardinal on Saturday, November 20, 1982...
." It was a play with five lateral pass
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
es that allowed Cal to win the game.
After that game, Elway congratulated the trombone player that got run over. Although Elway never led his team to a bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, he had an accomplished college career. In his four seasons (1979–1982) at Stanford, he completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns. Stanford had a 20–23 record during his tenure. Elway's 24 touchdown passes in 1982 led the nation, and he graduated with nearly every Stanford and Pacific-10 career record for passing and total offense.
He won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors for the second time in 1982, and was a consensus All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n. In addition, he finished second in Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
balloting as a senior.
Schedule
|-!colspan=8| Non-Conference Schedule
|-
!colspan=8| Conference Schedule
Team Players in the NFL
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL Club |
| John Elway John Elway John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos... |
Quarterback | 1 | 1 | Baltimore Colts 1983 Baltimore Colts season The 1983 Baltimore Colts season was the 31st season for the team in the National Football League. This would be the last season in Baltimore as they moved to Indianapolis for the following season. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1983 season with a record of 7 wins and 9... |
| Chris Dressel Chris Dressel Christopher John Dressel is a former professional American football player who played tight end for ten seasons in the National Football League, mainly for the Houston Oilers and New York Jets.... |
Tight End | 3 | 69 | Houston Oilers 1983 Houston Oilers season The 1983 Houston Oilers season was the 24th season the team was with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 1–8, winning two games, but failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:... |
| Vincent White | Running Back | 6 | 163 | New York Jets 1983 New York Jets season The 1983 New York Jets season was the 24th season for the team and the 14th in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 6–3 record from 1982 and return to the playoffs under first-year head coach Joe Walton... |
| Mike Dotterer | Running Back | 8 | 222 | Los Angeles Raiders 1983 Los Angeles Raiders season -Schedule:-Los Angeles Raiders 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 10:The Raiders scored 3 touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 38–10 win over the Steelers. In the first quarter, Pittsburgh advanced on a 78-yard drive, but when faced with fourth down and inches near the goal line, they opted for... |
| Chris Rose | Tackle | 9 | 241 | Baltimore Colts |