In recognizing the 125th season of Stanford football and the 150th year of college football, GoStanford.com is celebrating and highlighting Stanford's football history with a season-long series by decade.
This Week: The 1930s
Games of the Decade:
Nov. 11, 1933: Stanford 13, USC 7
On Oct. 24, 1932, Stanford's talented freshmen team took stock of the varsity's 13-0 shellacking at the hands of the undefeated and untied USC team known as the "Thundering Herd" two days earlier. Quarterback Frank Alustiza, a quiet man by nature, made a statement that got his teammates' attention. "They will never do that to our team," he said. "We will never lose to the Trojans." Shouts of "That's right," echoed throughout the locker room. Finally, halfback Bones Hamilton shouted, "Let's make that a vow!"
A year later, with Stanford playing at USC, reporters resurrected the audacious vow in print. Armed with bulletin-board material, USC seemed primed to teach Stanford's sophomore-laden team a lesson. It didn't work that way. A USC team that had won 27 straight went down to defeat in one of the biggest upsets in the history of West Coast football.
Shunning much of the "razzle dazzle" that had characterized Stanford under Pop Warner, Tiny Thornhill's team relied on straight-ahead no-nonsense football. Stanford trailed early, 7-0, but tied the game and then took the lead when Monk Moscrip tore off a 30-yard run that set up the first of two Bill Corbus fourth-quarter field goals
A rally was hastily organized to greet the team upon its arrival at the Palo Alto train depot on Monday morning. "Everyone on the Campus will be present," announced rally committee chairman Ed Boyles. "Stanford has been waiting for this since 1926!" The Indians were greeted by carloads of honking and bell-ringing students and fans. After a short speech by coach Tiny Thornhill, the team was feted with a parade down Palm Drive.
Nov. 23, 1935: Stanford 13, California 0
The vow that the Stanford freshmen made three years earlier was fulfilled in full when the Indians won their third straight over USC, on Nov. 9, thanks to a 23-yard Monk Moscrip field goal with 50 seconds left for a 3-0 victory at the L.A. Coliseum.
Still, Stanford, struggling offensively and limited by injuries, went into the Big Game as an underdog to an undefeated Cal team that had shut out seven of its nine opponents. With the Pacific Coast Conference title and Rose Bowl berth on the line, Stanford earned a convincing 13-0 victory. The original vow was directed at USC, but Cal was adopted as part of the movement. When the Vow Boys were done, they had won every game against USC and Cal in their three years on the Stanford varsity.
Jan. 1, 1936 (Rose Bowl): Stanford 7, SMU 0
The Vow Boys added one final vow as they headed to Pasadena for the third consecutive year – to win a Rose Bowl. In the 1934 game, Stanford fell to Columbia, 7-0, on a field saturated by days of rain. In 1935, an Alabama team featuring receiving immortal Don Hutson dominated in a 29-13 rout.
Needing a Rose Bowl victory to secure their legacy, the Vow Boys got one, with a 7-0 victory over an SMU team that came into the game on a 12-game winning streak. Never before had a team from Texas been invited to the Rose Bowl and the Lone Star state was whipped into a frenzy by the Mustangs' appearance.
Stanford quarterback Bill Paulman scored the touchdown on a one-yard bootleg in the first quarter, but the game was a defensive struggle and every possession was magnified. In the second quarter, SMU drove to the Stanford 5 and, rather than bull into the Stanford line, tried a trick play with multiple handoffs. Stanford's Wes Muller burst into the backfield during one exchange and the ball popped into the air.
After the referee peeled player after player from the massive pile, Muller sprang to us his feet and flipped the ball to the official. "Is this what you're looking for, mister?" he said.
From 1933-35 under coach Tiny Thornhill, Stanford went 25-4-2, earned 20 shutouts, won three Pacific Coast Conference championships, played in three Rose Bowls, and won one of them. Four members of the class of '36 – fullback Bobby Grayson, halfback Bones Hamilton, halfback Monk Moscrip, and tackle Bob Reynolds – were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, as was Bill Corbus, who played on the 1933 team.
1936 Rose Bowl program cover.
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Notable Coaches:
Claude "Tiny" Thornhill (1933-39)
Given the nickname of "Tiny" as a man of large frame, Thornhill came to Stanford in 1922 as a caretaker for Pop Warner, who still had two years left on his contract at Pitt. Thornhill played for Warner at Pitt and coached linemen at Centre College when he came to Stanford. Thornhill remained for 18 seasons, including the final seven as head coach.
Thornhill coached the Vow Boys to three Pacific Coast Conference titles and a 1936 Rose Bowl victory. However, the post-Vow Boys era was not so kind to Thornhill, who resigned after a 1-7-1 season in 1939 and never coached again. He went 35-25-7 on The Farm and remains the only coach in Stanford history to lead the team to three consecutive Rose Bowls.
Tiny Thornhill.
Pop Warner (1924-32)
Though the Pop Warner era came to an end, the excellence of the era continued for most of the next decade. Warner never had a losing season in his nine years at the helm, and won more games at Stanford (71) than anyone except David Shaw. Warner proved that Stanford could compete with the nation's best and launched an era in which Stanford would win two national championships and reach seven Rose Bowls in 15 seasons. Warner left to build a program at Temple, taking the 1934 Owls to the Sugar Bowl. But the highly-paid Warner could not maintain his past success and retired after the 1938 season. Having kept his house in Palo Alto, Warner joined Bud DeGroot's staff at San Jose State in 1939 and turned the offense into a force as the Spartans went undefeated. Warner, who said he regretted his decision to leave Stanford for Temple, died in Palo Alto on Sept. 7, 1954, at age 83.
Pop Warner.
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Prominent Players:
Bill Corbus '34
Called the "Baby-Faced Assassin" for his youthful appearance and ferocity on the field, Bill Corbus was one of the greatest linemen in college football history. A consensus first-team All-American in 1932 and 1933, Corbus was the steadying veteran influence for the up-and-coming Vow Boys teams. In the 1933 game that launched the Vow Boys dynasty, Corbus kicked two fourth-quarter field goals that allowed Stanford to pull away from USC, 13-7. He was hailed as the finest pulling guard of his era and was an honor student and president of the student body. Corbus was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1957.
Bill Corbus.
Bobby Grayson '36
A fullback who possessed speed and power, Bobby Grayson is on the short list of Stanford's all-time greats. Ernie Nevers called Grayson "the best back I've ever seen." On Jan. 1, 1934, Grayson rushed for 152 yards against Columbia to set a Rose Bowl record. He completed his career with a 1,547 rushing yards (on 405 carries) to set a Stanford record that stood for 20 years. Grayson intercepted four passes in a game --- two of which he returned for touchdowns – against Washington in 1934. He was a two-time first-team All-American and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1955.
Bobby Grayson attacks the Washington line in 1934.
James "Monk" Moscrip '36
A two-time All-American at end and a placekicker, Monk Moscrip was a force on offense, defense, and special teams. In 1935, Moscrip kicked field goals for every Stanford point in a victorious stretch over Washington (6-0), Santa Clara (9-6), and USC (3-0). Moscrip played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions in 1938-39 before serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, participated in battles at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. After winning a fight against alcohol addiction, Moscrip served as the manager of the alcohol rehabilitation center in Woodside, California, for nearly 25 years. Moscrip was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Monk Moscrip.
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Best Teams:
1933 (8-2-1)
The Vow Boys still were in their infancy when Stanford captured its first Pacific Coast Conference title in six years. The team featured eight sophomore starters and five future College Football Hall of Famers. A dramatic 7-3 victory over Cal sent the Indians into the Rose Bowl, where it was a big favorite over Columbia. Some members of the media thought Stanford purposefully sought a weaker opponent. That was not the case. Stanford's youth may have betrayed it in Pasadena, fumbling eight times to wipe away its offensive dominance.
Days of torrential rains caused the water level to rise on the field an inch per hour on the night before the game. With the water a foot deep, there was talk of a postponement. But the rain stopped and the fire department drained the field by pumping out the water. Columbia won 7-0 by scoring on a naked reverse play called KF-79 that fooled nearly the entire Stanford defense for a 17-yard second-quarter score.
1934 (9-1-1)
Stanford was even better in 1934. After 7-7 tie with Santa Clara blemished an otherwise perfect regular season, Stanford shut out its next seven opponents. Cal broke that streak with a late touchdown to make the Big Game close, but Stanford already scored on a 20-yard double reverse to Bones Hamilton and a field goal by Carl Schott in a 9-7 victory. Stanford had allowed only 14 points in the 10-game regular season, but never saw a passing attack like Alabama's, with quarterback Dixie Howell and receiver Don Hutson connecting six times for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson Tide's 29-13 Rose Bowl victory.
College Football Hall of Famer Bones Hamilton carries against UCLA in 1934.
1935 (8-1)
The Stanford defense was at its best in the final year of the Vow Boys reign, allowing only 13 points, with seven shutouts. The offense, however, often struggled and the team won only twice by more than two touchdowns. It didn't matter in the end, because this Stanford team will be remembered for winning the Rose Bowl, beating SMU, 7-0.
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Key Moments:
The Immortal 21 (April 3, 1930)
After Cal stole it during at an 1899 baseball game, the Stanford Axe was kept in a Berkeley bank vault, except for the days when it was displayed at an annual rally at the Greek Theatre. A group of 21 Stanford students at Sequoia Hall hatched a plan to get it back. On the steps of Berkeley's American Trust Company bank, the Axe was to be transferred into an armored Studebaker. Stanford student Warren Gage, posing as a professional photographer, asked the guardians to pose. "Let's have a good shot at the Axe," he said. As they paused, five pounds of flash power exploded, temporarily blinding them.
Howard Avery dropped on top of the startled Berkleyans and grabbed the Axe. It passed quickly into several hands until it was stuffed under the sweater of Bob Loofbourow. Amidst tear gas, decoy cars, and Stanford students leading fake pursuits. Loofbourow calmly walked through the chaos into a getaway car. With Cal students in pursuit at the Dumbarton Bridge, Stanford student Red Okkre, manning the toll booth, raised the drawbridge to cause further delay and the Axe safely reached Stanford. The Immortal 21 were hailed as heroes, and classes were cancelled the next day in celebration.
The Immortal 21.
The Axe is Won (Nov. 25, 1934):
For the first time, The Stanford Axe was presented as the Big Game trophy and it was up for grabs until the final gun. Stanford took a 7-3 lead with five minutes left when quarterback Frank Alustiza found right end Al Norgard in stride behind the Cal defense for a 57-yard score. Cal responded by driving to the Stanford 4. Three plays went nowhere, but on fourth down, Cal quarterback Floyd Blower spotted a receiver alone in the end zone and threw, only for Stanford's Bones Hamilton to flash across the flightpath for the interception on the game's final play. Stanford carried The Axe away proudly.
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Players complete the walk from the practice field to Encina Gym at the end of the day in 1931.
Lead photo: Pete Fay rumbles through the line against Cal in the 1937 Big Game at Stanford Stadium.