STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford announced Thursday that its quarterbacks coaching position has been endowed by a very generous gift from Kim ’83 and Eddie Poplawski ’81, MBA ’87 in honor of Kevin Hogan ’15.
“I am beyond humbled by this generous gift from Eddie and Kim Poplawski,” said Tavita Pritchard ’09, Stanford’s first Kevin M. Hogan Quarterbacks Coach. “The legacy that Kevin Hogan left on the field can only be eclipsed by the caliber of his character. This gift is a great reminder of what makes our Stanford community so special.”
The commitment reflects the Poplawskis deep respect for Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw ’94, recognition of the Cardinal staff for developing the character of student-athletes as well as their football talents, and their respect for Hogan while recognizing his leadership and impact on the program.
“Our lives have been incredibly blessed by our, nearly four-decade old, connection to Stanford, and it is truly a pleasure and privilege to be able to honor Kevin and his family in this manner,” said Kim and Eddie Poplawski. “In our minds, Kevin has set the gold standard on many different levels for student-athletes. He leads by example with conviction and grace. He competes with intense passion, but always with respect and tremendous humility. He thoughtfully and thoroughly prepares himself for the challenges he faces on and off the field, while remaining keenly focused and concerned about the successes of others not just his own.
“Kevin is a Stanford treasure who will always represent our university in a first-class manner no matter where his life’s journey leads him. It warms our hearts to be able to forever commemorate his legacy on The Farm.
“We sincerely hope that our gift will inspire other alums and friends of the University to consider supporting the incredibly gifted coaches who teach, mentor and guide all of our wonderful student-athletes. Stanford’s phenomenal success in athletic competition is predicated on world-class coaching talent. Fueling coaching positions with endowed resources will allow generations of student-athletes to come to thrive and succeed, on campus and beyond, at the very highest levels.”
“Kevin Hogan’s name is synonymous with winning football games,” said Shaw. “More importantly, Kevin’s perseverance, preparation and leadership have set an example for future quarterbacks to follow. Kevin has earned this prestigious honor, and deserves to add his name to the list of great Stanford quarterbacks.”
Pritchard, who will continue coaching the wide receivers in addition to quarterbacks, is entering his seventh season on the Cardinal coaching staff and fourth in a full-time capacity.
A four-year letter winner for the Cardinal from 2006-09, Pritchard made his first career start against USC on Oct. 6, 2007, and engineered an epic 24-23 upset of the second-ranked Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum. His 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth down with 0:49 left in the game secured his spot in Stanford football lore.
The Tacoma, Washington, native appeared in 31 career games and made 20 starts, throwing for 2,865 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Under Pritchard’s tutelage, Hogan developed into the winningest quarterback in Stanford history.
“It has been said time and time again that it’s the people that make Stanford the extraordinary place that it is,” Hogan said. “That notion never ceases to amaze me. I am very grateful to Eddie and Kim Poplawski for this extremely kind gift. It is people like the Poplawski family that represents how special the Stanford community is.
“We hope this gift will have an impact on current and future Stanford quarterbacks while they learn, grow, and thrive as I was able to do during my time on The Farm.”
The signal-caller from McLean, Virginia, was thrust into the starting role midway into his sophomore season and led the Cardinal to five straight wins to close the 2012 season, including the program’s first Rose Bowl victory since 1972.
Hogan, a two-time team captain, would post a 36-10 record as Stanford’s starting quarterback while leading the Cardinal to three Pac-12 titles, two Rose Bowl victories and a Foster Farms Bowl win. He is the only Stanford quarterback to start and play in four consecutive bowl games.
Hogan left his mark throughout the Cardinal record book, setting program-bests for career total offense (10,634), season passing efficiency (171.0 - 2015), career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,249) and career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (15). He is second in career completion percentage (.659) and career passing efficiency (154.6), while ranking third with 75 career touchdown passes.
Eddie Poplawski earned undergraduate degrees in economics and human biology from Stanford in 1981, and his MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 1987. He is the owner and CEO of Barclay’s Realty & Management Company and the Bellingham Bells, a summer collegiate baseball team that plays in the West Coast League.
Kim (Palmer) Poplawski graduated from Stanford in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in human biology. She enjoyed a lengthy and successful career with Microsoft before retiring.
The couple has three sons: Daniel, Dean ’16 and Matthew.