American college football season
The 1952 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1952 college football season . The team was led by head coach Chuck Taylor in his second year and played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California .
After winning the conference and making it to the Rose Bowl in the previous season , the team was ranked #13 in preseason polls.[ 1] After winning their first four games, the team lost five of the last six games, including a 26–0 Big Game shutout—its worst loss to rival California in more than half a century—to finish well out of the conference championship.[ 2]
Running back Bob Mathias , who had won his second gold medal in the decathlon earlier in the summer at the 1952 Summer Olympics , was Stanford's only 1953 NFL draft selection.[ 3]
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 20 Santa Clara * No. 13 W 28–1327,500 [ 4]
September 27 at No. 15 Washington State No. 13 W 14–1325,000
October 4 Michigan * Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA W 14–725,000
October 11 Oregon State Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA W 41–2828,000
October 18 at No. 10 UCLA No. 13 L 14–2480,617
October 25 Washington Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA L 14–2725,000
November 1 San Jose State * Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry ) W 35–13
November 8 No. 6 USC Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry ) L 7–5455,000
November 15 Oregon Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA L 20–21
November 22 at California L 0–26
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Players drafted by the NFL
[ 5]
References
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold