Graff, Stan

Stanley R. Graff

Graff played as an end at Stanford and was a member of the 1940 squad that finished No. 2 in the country and won the Rose Bowl. That season, Graff was named UP All-America honorable mention, All-Pacific Coast Conference honorable mention, and to the All-opponent team by both USC (University of Southern California) and UCLA (University of California-Los Angeles).

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Graff, who originally was a quarterback when he arrived at Stanford as a freshman in 1937, played three season of varsity football as an end. In 1938 and 1939, the Indians (now the Cardinal) had a combined record of 4-13-1. In 1940, however, they had an outstanding year as they unveiled a new T-formation offense. Filled with innovative tricks that left crowds entertained and opponents bewildered, they finished the regular season with a record of 9-0-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation.

In the Rose Bowl that year, Stanford faced No. 7 Nebraska (making their first bowl appearance in school history) who had a record of 8-1-0; their only loss was to No. 1 Minnesota. In front of 91,000 fans, Stanford built a 14-13 lead in the third quarter when they drove to the Nebraska one-yard line. The Huskers stopped Stanford on four plays and took over from the one. Nebraska was then forced to punt the ball and Stanford returned the kick for a touchdown and an insurmountable 21-13 final score. Stanford finished the season ranked No. 2 behind Minnesota.

Origin:
Oakland, California

Career Dates:
Graff played as an end at Stanford from 1938-1940.

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