1933 Stanford Indians football team

1933 Stanford Indians football
Pacific Coast Conference Co-Champions
Rose Bowl, L 0–7 vs. Columbia
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
1933 record	8–2–1 (4–1 PCC)
Head coach	Claude E. Thornhill (1st year)
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium

1933 PCC football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Stanford * +	4	–	1	–	0			8	–	2	–	1
Oregon +	4	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
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
+ – Conference co-champions * – Selected as Rose Bowl representative

The 1933 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1933 college football season. In head coach Tiny Thornill'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.^[1]

Heavy favorites in the Rose Bowl against Columbia, the Indians, led by quarterback Frank Alustiza and fullback Bobby Grayson, dominated the line of scrimmage, with Grayson rushing for 152 yards on 28 carries, more than the entire Columbia team—but eight fumbles and a stiff goal line defense by Columbia kept Stanford from scoring, and the lone score, via a hidden ball play, gave the Lions the upset.^[2]

The team was the first known as "The Vow Boys" because after a devastating loss to rival USC, the Stanford freshman of that game, led by Alustiza, vowed never again to lose to USC. They kept the vow for three years, beginning with a 13–7 road victory over the 1933 USC team, USC's first loss in 27 games, a victory which paved Stanford's way to the Rose Bowl.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 23	State Teachers College*	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Rivalry)	W 27–0
September 30	UCLA	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 3–0
October 7	Santa Clara*	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 7–0
October 14	at Northwestern*	Dyche Stadium • Chicago, IL	T 0–0
October 21	San Francisco*	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 20–13
October 28	at Washington	Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA	L 0–6
November 4	Olympic Club*	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 21–0
November 11	at USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA	W 13–7
November 18	Montana	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA	W 33–7
November 25	California	Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (39th Big Game)	W 7–3
January 1, 1934	vs. Columbia*	Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	L 0–7
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll.

References

1. "Stanford Game-by-Game Results; 1933–1937". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
2. "1934: Columbia, 7 vs. Stanford, 0". Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
3. "Tradition: Great Moments in the First Fifty Years of Cardinal Football". The Stanford Review. XXXVII (8). December 1, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2011.