College Sports Established
1918
Location
Stanford, California
College Name
Stanford University
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1918 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
2024 - Present / ACC Conference
2010 - 2024 / PAC 12 Conference
1978 – 2010 / Pacific 10
1964 – 1978 / Pacific 8
1959 – 1964 / Athletic Association of Western Universities
1915 – 1959 / Pacific Coast Conference
Nickname
Cardinal - The Stanford Cardinal is one of the most iconic college teams in the NCAA, and their nickname has an exciting history. The school's first football team was formed in 1891, and at that time, they were known as the “Indians.” However, this name was changed to "Cardinals" after a student poll during World War I showed overwhelming support.
The origin of this new nickname is still debated today; some say it came from a red sweater worn by coach Pop Warner during practice, while others suggest that students chose it because of its association with strength and power - qualities they wanted to embody on their field. Regardless of how it came about, though, Stanford Cardinals have proudly represented their school since then!
Stanford University also adopted another mascot - The Tree - an unofficial symbol for athletic events held at the university or featuring its teams (the official mascot is a white-tailed deer). This tree has roots stretching back even further than the Cardinal nickname: It dates back to 1925 when Elwood Bruner designed what would become known as "the Card Stunt." During halftime shows, he had fans stand up holding cards above their heads, creating different shapes like trees or letters spelling out words such as STANFORD or CARDINALS – thus beginning what became an essential part of any game day experience!
Today these two mascots are used interchangeably when referring to anything related to Stanford athletics; whether you're talking about football games or track meets, you can be sure there will be plenty of Cardinals & Trees cheering them on!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 2
1988, 1987
Men's Basketball 1
1942
Women's Basketball 3
2021, 1992, 1990
Football 0
Soccer 3
2017, 2016, 2015
- 1982
- 1988
- 1990
- 1992
- 2010
- 2015
- 2021
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John Elway last-minute drive against Ohio State
John Elway was a consensus All-American quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal football team from 1979 to 1982. He completed 774 passes for 9,349 yards and 77 touchdowns in his college career2. He led the Cardinal to some memorable victories, such as the last-minute drive against Ohio State in 1982 and the upset win over Washington in 19822. He also played ... -
Stanford NCAA Baseball Champs 1988
The 1988 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 1988 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, a double-elimination tournament in its forty-second year. Eight regional competitions were held to determine the participants in the final event. ... -
Women’s Basketball Champs in Basketball 1990
The 1990 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament began on March 11 and ended on April 1. The tournament featured 48 teams. The Final Four consisted of Virginia, Stanford, Auburn, and Louisiana Tech, with Stanford defeating Auburn 76-60 to win its first NCAA title. Stanford’s Jennifer Azzi was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. -
Stanford Football team finishes with a 10–3 record
In 1992: Stanford finishes with a 10–3 record and a No. 9 ranking in the final AP poll, its best season since 1971. The team is coached by Bill Walsh, who returns to Stanford after winning three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers -
Stanford BCS bowl victory
In 2010 Stanford finishes with a 12–1 record and a No. 4 ranking in the final AP poll, its best season since 1940. The team is coached by Jim Harbaugh and features quarterback Andrew Luck, who finishes second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Stanford defeats Virginia Tech 40–12 in the Orange Bowl for its first BCS bowl victory -
Stanford Cardinals Football wins its third Pac-12 title in four years
In 2015 Stanford wins its third Pac-12 title in four years and defeats Iowa 45–16 in the Rose Bowl for its second Rose Bowl victory in four years. The team is coached by David Shaw and features running back Christian McCaffrey, who breaks Barry Sanders’ NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards and finishes second in the Heisman Trophy voting -
Cardinal Women’s Basketball Make 3-In-A-Row Against Arizona
The 2021 championship game was the seventh to feature two teams from the same conference. Stanford and Arizona met twice during the regular season, with Stanford winning both meetings. The Cardinal recorded an 81–74 win on the road on January 1, 2021, and defeated the Wildcats again at home, 62–48, on February 22, 2021. This was the 86th meeting all-time ...
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is one of the most storied programs in college sports. With a long and successful history, they have been a dominant force in NCAA athletics for decades. From their first official season in 1891 to today, the Cardinal has made its mark on college sports with an impressive list of accomplishments.
Stanford has won two national championships (1926 & 1940) and three Pac-12 football titles (1999-2001). They also record the most Rose Bowl wins at eight and seven conference championships since 2005 alone! The program boasts some of the greatest players ever to play college football, such as John Elway, Jim Plunkett, and Andrew Luck, among others who have gone on to NFL success after leaving Palo Alto.
On top of that success story comes basketball. Stanford holds six regular season titles and four tournament appearances, including a Final Four run back in 1998 under head coach Mike Montgomery’s leadership. Not only did this team make it all way there, but they also brought home an NIT title just last year! It’s no wonder why so many fans flock out each game day to see what these talented athletes can do next time around courtside or inside Maples Pavilion itself – home away from home for any faithful fan base member looking up into those rafters filled with championship banners hanging above them all proudly displayed as trophies earned through hard work by past generations before us now today still cheering loud come to every tip off the moment we get here at The Farm too!
Finally, let's not forget about track & field either, where over twenty individual NCAA titles have been won by various student athletes throughout years competing within this sport, making sure everyone knows how much talent lies within our university walls when it comes down running fast times or throwing far distances - proving once again that nothing beats good old fashioned hard work put forth towards achieving goals set both academically/athletically combined forming strong foundations built upon excellence expected from any person wearing cardinal red colors representing school spirit always seen across campus grounds during sporting events held here regularly too then too now again suitable?
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