Notable Football Graduates

A Heisman Trophy winner, Super Bowl MVPs, Rose Bowl MVPs, All-Americans, bowl game champions, attorneys, doctors, professors, and CEOs are just some of the bywords that describe the Stanford football player.

Since Stanford University began playing football in 1891, Cardinal football players have had the opportunity to experience the best in intercollegiate football while at the same time earning one of the most prestigious undergraduate degrees in the world.

Seventeen Stanford football players have been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Pro football greats Jim Plunkett, John Elway, James Lofton, John Brodie and Frankie Albert are just a few of Stanford's first round selections. Like Plunkett before him, Elway led his team to a pair of Super Bowl victories - 1998 and '99 - and earning MVP honors in the latter.

Bob Mathias, whom many consider to be the greatest athlete of all time, became a U.S. Congressman from California following his playing days at Stanford. Mathias, of course, won the 1948 and '52 Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. He played football at Stanford in 1951 and '52 and was a four-year member of the track team.

Former Cardinal quarterback Don Bunce helped lead Stanford to a Pac-10 championship in 1971 and a trip to the '72 Rose Bowl. Following his MVP performance in the Rose Bowl, Bunce went on to play professional football for one year before entering Stanford University Medical School. Dr. Bunce served as a Stanford team doctor for over 11 years and is currently an orthopedic surgeon at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Stanford football players have gone on to impressive careers in the law profession as well. Two-time letterwinner James Ukropina, three-year letterwinner Ray Anderson, First-Team All-American Chris Burford, four-year letterman Larry Reynolds and three-year lettermen Rodney Gilmore and John Finley are just some examples.

Ukropina, who was a Stanford letterman in 1957 and '58, went on to a distinguished career as an attorney. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Stanford University. Anderson, a letterwinner from 1973-75, received his bachelor's degree in political science from Stanford in 1976 and a law degree from Harvard. He is the president of A.R. Sports, Inc.

Burford, a First-Team All-American receiver in 1959 and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, went on to play eight seasons in professional football with the Kansas City Chiefs. Burford earned his law degree while playing professional football.

Gilmore, along with practicing law in the San Francisco Bay Area, is also a television commentator for ESPN. He served as the Chair of the Stanford Athletic Board in 1997-98.

Stanford football players have made their mark in the business world as well. Phil Satre, a three-year letterwinner from 1969-71 and a member of Stanford's back-to-back Rose Bowl championship teams, is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Harrah's Entertainment. Bill Keller, a four-time letterwinner (1974-77), is currently the Director of Football Sports Marketing at Nike.

Hilary Shockley, a three-time letterwinner and member of Stanford's back-to-back Rose Bowl teams in 1970 and '71, is currently the president of his own company, A/R Capital. Randy Vataha, a First-Team All-Pac-10 pick in 1970, helped lead Stanford to a conference title and Rose Bowl victory before playing seven seasons in the NFL. Vataha is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Game Plan Inc., an investment banking company for professional sports teams.

Blaine Nye was a First-Team All-Pac-8 selection who went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, including three Super Bowl games. Nye received his MBA from Stanford in 1974 and earned his Ph.D. in financial economics from Stanford following his playing days. He is currently member of the Stanford Consulting Group. Chuck Evans, a four-year letterman from 1976-79, played on two bowl game championship teams during his career. He is currently a Senior Vice President for Sutro & Co., Inc. in San Jose.

Former Stanford All-America Gene Washington, who played 11 seasons in the NFL, is currently the Director of Football Development for the National Football League.

Stanford football players have touched the academic field as well. Ken Shropshire is presently a professor at the Wharton School of Business, Jerry Waldvogel is a professor of biology at Clemson University and Dale Rubin is a professor of law, to name a few.

Along with the aforementioned Dr. Bunce, the medical profession is not without its former Stanford football players. Joe St. Geme, a 1980 Stanford graduate with a degree in biology, is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Ron Inge, a four-year letterman, received a degree from Stanford in human biology in 1977 and went on to a 14-year career as a dentist. He is now the Vice President of Dental Operations for DentCare of California. Milt McColl, who played eight seasons in the NFL, was a four-year letterman at Stanford. He is currently the Vice President and Medical Director for Gynecare in Menlo Park, California.

Former Cardinal player and coach Paul Wiggin, after a tremendous 11-year career in the NFL and a stint as a head coach in the NFL and Stanford's head football coach, is currently the Assistant General Manager for the Minnesota Vikings. Former Stanford and NFL great James Lofton is currently enjoying an outstanding career in the broadcasting industry.

The list is long and the accomplishments impressive. Success on the field and success off the field continues to define the Stanford University football player.