College Football: The Mount Rushmore for the 30 best programs of all time
By Brad Weiss
Stanford Cardinal: John Elway, Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey, Jim Plunkett
The Stanford Cardinal have produced some of the better quarterbacks in the history of college football, and three of them make our Mount Rushmore in the history of the program. As a program, the Cardinal have won over 650 games, two national titles, and 15 conference championships, while producing 37 All-Americans.
John Elway
Arguably the best quarterback in the history of football, John Elway was an absolute star during his time at Stanford, performing at the highest level for the school’s baseball and football programs. The 1982 Pac-10 Player of the Year, Elway threw for over 9,400 yards during his time at Stanford, while connecting on 77 touchdowns. His teams went 20-23, but that does not mean he didn’t earn his place on our list.
Andrew Luck
The son of a former NFL quarterback in Oliver Luck, Andrew Luck came to the Cardinal with a ton of hype and definitely lived up to it all. Luck won the 2011 Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards and was twice named a Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. A two-time All-American, Luck threw for over 80 touchdowns during his three years as the starter in Stanford. He would go on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
Christian McCaffrey
During his time at Stanford, there was really nothing that Christian McCaffrey could not do, as he became the most electric player in college football. After shattering Barry Sanders’ all-purpose record as a sophomore, McCaffrey once again led the nation in all-purpose yards as a junior, before leaving early for the NFL. A two-time All-American, McCaffrey is the best do-everything back this program has ever seen.
Jim Plunkett
The first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy, Jim Plunkett was a record-breaking quarterback at Stanford, setting league records as a junior in passing yards and touchdowns. The winner of the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards, Plunkett was an All-American in 1970. He would go on to be the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1971 with the New England Patriots.