This Week in Stanford Football History: BC Week

“Throwback Thursday”

September 14, 1986:

We have all heard it said, “You don’t mess with Texas”, but in the fall of 1986 that’s exactly what the Stanford Cardinal managed to do, 39 years ago, this very week! 

The 10-point underdog Card, a veteran squad under third-year head coach Jack Elway, got the ‘86 season off to a tremendous start with one of the school’s all-time season-opening road wins, a surprising, if not shocking 31-20 win over their humiliated hosts!

You see, the Orange was not expecting to get “burnt” that afternoon in ‘86. The University of Texas, the pigskin pride of the Lone Star State, had not lost a home opener since ‘66, when the USC Trojans had managed to squeak by them, 10-6. The Longhorns’ overall record in season openers was, at that point, a decidedly inhospitable 84-10-3. However, Stanford had in its arsenal a legitimate All-American candidate in Paye under center (Andy Sinclair) and a formidable defense led by ferocious inside linebacker Dave Wyman, a future NFL player who had missed the entire ’85 season after a sustaining a devasting knee injury at the end of the ’84 season. The opportunistic secondary was led by ball-hawking senior defensive back and future New Orleans Saint, San Francisco 49er, and Carolina Panther, Toi Cook.

Senior QB John Paye, the 1982 Gatorade National Offensive Player of the Year and designated successor to 1982 Heisman runner-up and 1983 top overall NFL draft pick  “Sir John of Elway”, was battling a multitude of finger, arm, and shoulder injuries, but nevertheless was locked and loaded. Stanford’s “WR1” was fleet-footed junior Jeff James, a polished product of toney Beverly Hills High (“90201”)

Stunning the overconfident crowd of 74,372, Paye would connect with James, not once, not twice, but three times in the first half! TD receptions of 18, 56, and 45 yards were giving the unsuspecting Texans the proverbial long-hard horn! The Cardinal’s fast and furious start was even more steer-stunning because the initial 18-yard strike came with just 0:08 remaining in the first quarter and the 45-yarder happened with just ten seconds remaining before half-time, meaning that the three “Paye –to-James” tuddies essentially took place in  the span of a single quarter! Them ‘Horns did not know what had hit them and couldn’t recover. 

Going 8-4 (5-3), the resurgent Cardinal produced its first winning season in six years and  finally made it back to the post-season for the first time since a remarkable 25-22 comeback victory at the Houston Astrodome over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1978 Bluebonnet Bowl. Impressively, the four losses during the campaign were each by 10 points or less! With a prolific offense and a stifling defense, the ’86 team was never out of a game.

Jeff James, John Paye, and Toi Cook were each named to the 1991 Stanford Football All-Century Team and were also members of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity! Team leader Dave Wyman, the heart and soul of the squad, was also selected to the All-Century Team and like Paye and Cook, is a proud member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. Running back Brad Muster, center Andy Sinclair, and young DL Lester Archambeau would also make the All-Century Team.

SFAU founding team member Darran Baird was a member of that 1986 Stanford Coca Cola Bowl and Gator Bowl team as a 6-5 260 freshman DL from Dana Hills High School in Laguna Nigel, CA. 

John Paye

Jeffrey James

Jeffrey & Jim Video

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