1937 Stanford Indians football
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
Record4–3–2 (4–2–1 PCC)
Head coach
Home stadiumStanford Stadium
Seasons
← 1936
1938 →
1937 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 California $ 6 – 0 – 1 10 – 0 – 1
Stanford 4 – 2 – 1 4 – 3 – 2
Washington 4 – 2 – 2 7 – 2 – 2
Washington State 3 – 3 – 2 3 – 3 – 3
Idaho 2 – 2 – 0 4 – 3 – 1
Oregon State 2 – 3 – 3 3 – 3 – 3
USC 2 – 3 – 2 4 – 4 – 2
Oregon 2 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
UCLA 1 – 5 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
Montana 0 – 1 – 0 7 – 1 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1937 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1937 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Claude E. Thornhill, the Indians compiled an overall record of 4–3–2 with a mark of 4–2–1 in conference play, placing second in the PCC. The team played home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Stanford had been scheduled to play two games in Hawaii—against a Honolulu town team and the Hawaii Rainbows—in December, but the games were canceled due to steamship schedule changes that meant the team would miss a week and a half of classes in winter quarter.[1][2] Washington replaced Stanford for both games.[2]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 25Santa Clara*
L 7–13[3]
October 2at Oregon
L 6–7
October 9UCLA
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 12–715,000
October 23at Washington
W 13–722,230
October 30Oregon State
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
T 0–0
November 6at USC
W 7–655,000
November 13Washington State
  • Stanford Stadium
  • Stanford, CA
W 23–015,000
November 20No. 2 CaliforniaNo. 13
L 0–1385,000[4][5]
November 27at Columbia*
T 0–020,000[6][7]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

California

The Indians were 4–1–1 in the Pacific Coast Conference entering the Big Game against 5–0–1 California. A head-to-head win over the Bears would almost certainly have given Stanford a bid to the 1938 Rose Bowl.[8] However, the Bears scored two touchdowns in quick succession in an eight-minute stretch of the second quarter and held the Indians scoreless, winning 13–0.[9]

Columbia

Stanford faced Columbia for the third time in four years. The Indians had lost to the Lions in the 1934 Rose Bowl and lost in New York the previous season; this year, in what would be the final meeting of the teams, the teams played to a scoreless tie.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Gridsters head for island tilt". The Stanford Daily. September 24, 1937. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Indian gridders sharpen axe for Columbia game; Hawaiian tilts canceled". The Stanford Daily. November 24, 1937. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  3. ^ "Santa Clara downs Stanford". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 26, 1937. p. 16.
  4. ^ Henry McLemore (November 21, 1937). "Indians Never Had a Chance, Says M'Lemore". Oakland Tribune. p. A9 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Art Potter (November 21, 1937). "Bears Crusher Blocking Sends Stanford Reeling". Oakland Tribune. p. A9 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Stanford held to 0 to 0 tie by Columbia". Chicago Tribune. November 28, 1937. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  7. ^ Effrat, Louis (November 28, 1937). "Thrilling Scoreless Draw Played by Columbia Team". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. p. S1.
  8. ^ "California Bears favored in vital Palo Alto battle". Eugene Register-Guard. November 19, 1937. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  9. ^ "Indians fast recovering on eastern trip". The Stanford Daily. November 22, 1937. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  10. ^ Official results from "Stanford Football Media Guide" (PDF). p. 151. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
Categories