The 1933 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1933 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Tiny Thornhill, the Indians compiled an overall record of 8–2–1 with a mark of 4–1 in conference play, sharing the PCC title with Oregon. Stanford was invited to the Rose Bowl, where Indians lost to Columbia. The team played home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.
| 1933 Stanford Indians football | |
|---|---|
 Head coach Tiny Thornhill | |
PCC co-champion | |
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Record | 8–2–1 (4–1 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. 11 Stanford ^ + | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Oregon + | 4 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 USC | 4 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 2 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | San Jose State* | W 27–0 | |||
| September 30 | UCLA |
| W 3–0 | 25,000 | |
| October 7 | Santa Clara* |
| W 7–0 | 35,000 | [1] |
| October 14 | vs. Northwestern* | T 0–0 | 28,000 | [2] | |
| October 21 | San Francisco* |
| W 20–13 | [3] | |
| October 28 | at Washington | L 0–6 | 12,158 | ||
| November 4 | Olympic Club* |
| W 21–0 | ||
| November 11 | at USC | W 13–7 | 95,000 | ||
| November 18 | Montana |
| W 33–7 | ||
| November 25 | California |
| W 7–3 | ||
| January 1, 1934 | vs. Columbia* | L 0–7 | 35,000 | ||
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Season summary
editIn head coach Claude E. Thornhill's first season, the Indians allowed only 36 points during the entire regular season and logged four shutout victories. The team was Pacific Coast Conference co-champions with Oregon and was selected to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl.[4]
Vow Boys
editAfter the prior season's devastating loss to rival USC, Stanford's freshmen football players, led by quarterback Frank Alustiza, vowed never again to lose to the Trojans. The "Vow Boys", as they and their team were called, kept the vow for their three varsity seasons, beginning with a 13–7 road victory over the 1933 USC team. The game was USC's first loss in 27 contests, and Stanford's victory paved their way to the Rose Bowl.[5]
1934 Rose Bowl
editHeavy favorites in the Rose Bowl against Columbia, the Indians, led by quarterback Alustiza and fullback Grayson, dominated the line of scrimmage, with Grayson rushing for 152 yards on 28 carries, more than the entire Columbia team. However, eight fumbles and a stiff goal line defense by Columbia kept Stanford from scoring, and the lone score, in a hidden ball play, gave the Lions the upset.[6]
References
edit- ^ Curley Grieve (October 8, 1933). "Stanford Cards Defeat Broncos, 7-0: Bobby Grayson Scores Cardinal Touchdown; Santa Clara Makes Uphill Battle With Spectacular Aerial Attack". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "N.U. Ties Stanford, 0-0". Chicago Tribune. October 15, 1933. p. II-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Stanford Rally Routs Dons, 20 to 13". Los Angeles Times. October 22, 1933. p. VI-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Stanford Game-by-Game Results; 1933–1937". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ "Tradition: Great Moments in the First Fifty Years of Cardinal Football". The Stanford Review. XXXVII (8). December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ "1934: Columbia, 7 vs. Stanford, 0". Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Retrieved November 11, 2011.