Stanford will always be known for its academics, but its football program is not one to be overlooked. Over the years, the Cardinal has had enough winning teams and star players to keep cheap Stanford football tickets in short supply. It hasn’t always been easy, but Stanford has come alive again in the 21st century and become a football program worthy of national recognition. Nowadays, scoring last-minute Stanford football tickets is an invitation to see one of the top programs on the West Coast.

Almost Heisman Parade

To date, Stanford has had just one player win the Heisman Trophy with quarterback Jim Plunkett doing so in 1970. However, the Cardinal has long been home to elite players who came up just a little short of college football’s highest individual honor. Legendary quarterback John Elway finished second in Heisman voting in 1982. Andrew Luck had the misfortune of finishing second in both 2010 and 2011. Running backs Toby Gerhart, Christian McCaffrey, and Bryce Love all had similar experiences of finishing second in Heisman voting. Each one helped put Stanford on the map but couldn’t quite add to the school’s trophy case.

Smelling Roses

One of Stanford’s biggest accomplishments as a football program is going to the Rose Bowl more times than any other team outside of USC and Michigan. The Cardinal made an appearance in the Rose Bowl for the first time in 1902 and has been back over a dozen times since. Oddly enough, the most memorable game might be one that ended in a tie. The 1927 Rose Bowl between Stanford and Alabama ended in a tie but resulted in the two teams sharing the national championship with Lafayette, the first national title in Stanford history.

Mr. Consistency

Sustained success has always been difficult at Stanford, but they finally found it in the 21st century. Jim Harbaugh brought the program to life with a four-year stint that ended with a 12-1 season in 2010. He then handed the reins to David Shaw, who led the Cardinal to three Pac-12 titles and three Rose Bowl wins within his first five seasons. Stanford also averaged over 10 wins per season during Shaw’s first eight years at the helm, establishing the Cardinal as a perennial top-25 program and a Pac-12 powerhouse.