THREE STANFORD TEAMMATES -- Christian McCaffrey, Justin Reid, and Curtis Robinson -- represent the Cardinal in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Sunday.
McCaffrey, the NFL rushing and touchdowns champion, is expected to be the 43rd different Stanford alum to play in a Super Bowl when the San Francisco 49ers take on Reid's Kansas City Chiefs. 49ers linebacker Robinson, most recently on the club's practice squad, also would add to that total if he sees action.
All three were teammates in 2016 when the Cardinal capped off a 10-3 season with a 25-23 victory over North Carolina in the Sun Bowl and finished with a No. 12 ranking.
Reid, the Chiefs' starting strong safety, will play in back-to-back Super Bowls. He had seven tackles, including five solo, in Kansas City's 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last year in Glendale, Arizona.
Reid will be the first Stanford alum to play in consecutive Super Bowls since offensive tackle Cameron Fleming split victories for the New England Patriots in Super Bowls LI (2017) and LII (2018). The last alums to start in consecutive Super Bowls were receiver Doug Baldwin and cornerback Richard Sherman for the Seattle Seahawks in XLVIII (2014) and XLIX (2015).
Justin Reid, 2017. Photo by Karen Hickey/ISIphotos.com.
The last former Cardinal to win Super Bowls in consecutive years were quarterback John Elway and cornerback Darrien Gordon of the Denver Broncos in XXXII (1998) and XXXIII (1999).
Elway played in five Super Bowls, more than anyone from Stanford, and all for the Broncos. He beat Green Bay and Atlanta in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII in the final two seasons of his 16-year career. In the 34-19 victory over the Falcons on Jan. 31, 1999, in Miami Gardens, Florida, Elway completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and passed and ran for a touchdown on the way to being named as the game's MVP.
McCaffrey will be part of Stanford's first father and son Super Bowl combination, though the McColls were the first to play in NFL championships over two generations. The McCaffreys, however, could be the first Stanford alumni father and son to each win an NFL title.
Ed McCaffrey is tied with the most NFL championships won by a Stanford alum, with three. McCaffrey was a receiver for San Francisco in the 1994 season, and Denver in 1997 and 1998. McCaffrey totaled eight catches for 122 yards in three Super Bowls.
As for the McColls, Bill McColl, who passed away on December 28 at the age of 93, caught three passes as an end for the Chicago Bears in a 47-7 loss to the New York Giants in 1956. His son, Milt McColl, was a linebacker for San Francisco in the 49ers' 38-16 victory over Miami at Stanford Stadium in Super Bowl XIX (Jan. 20, 1985).
Hampton Pool, an end for the Chicago Bears in the 1940, 1941, and 1943 title seasons, shares Ed McCaffrey's Stanford record for most NFL championships. He was a two-way player. He returned an interception for a touchdown in Chicago's historic 73-0 championship victory over Washington in 1940.
Stanford's three Super Bowl representatives is the most since the 49ers' 2019 roster included three former Cardinal – Sherman, defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, and tight end Levine Toilolo – on the squad that lost to the Chiefs, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV.
Christian McCaffrey, 2016. Photo by Jim Shorin/ISIphotos.com.
The 49ers were built by alum John Lynch, the NFL Hall of Famer and S.F. General Manager and President of Football Operations. Keena Turner, Stanford's linebackers coach from 1992-94, is the 49ers' Vice President and Senior Advisor the General Manager.
This will mark the fourth consecutive Super Bowl with Stanford player representation. Already, 42 different alums have played in 38 different Super Bowls. Of those, 22 have played in a Super Bowl and won. They are among 26 different alums to have played in and won National Football League championship games.
Fifty-one alums have played in league title games, including the Super Bowl and in the pre-Super Bowl NFL and American Football League, and All-America Football Conference.
The most Stanford players to see action on a Super Bowl-winning team was four, for the 1977 Dallas Cowboys -- DB Benny Barnes, LB Pat Donovan, WR Tony Hill, and RB Scott Laidlaw. The Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII (Jan. 15, 1978). Along with defeated Denver defensive back Randy Poltl, the five players represent the most from Stanford in any Super Bowl or NFL championship game.
The first Stanford player in an NFL championship game was Ernie Caddel, nicknamed the "Blond Antelope," who rushed for 62 yards on 16 carries and scored a touchdown in helping the Detroit Lions beat the New York Giants, 26-7, on Dec. 15, 1935.
Stanford's first Super Bowl player was tight end Chris Burford of the Kansas City Chiefs. He had four catches for 67 yards in a 35-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in what is now called Super Bowl I (Jan. 15, 1967), at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The first alum on a Super Bowl winner was Blaine Nye, Dallas's starting right offensive guard in the Cowboys' 24-3 victory over Miami in Super Bowl VI (Jan. 16, 1962) at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.
Jim Plunkett was Stanford's first Super Bowl MVP, leading the Oakland Raiders past the Eagles, 27-10, in Super Bowl XV (Jan. 21, 1981). Plunkett completed 13 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns at the Superdome in New Orleans. He also quarterbacked the Los Angeles Raiders to a 38-9 victory over Washington in Super Bowl XVIII (Jan. 22, 1984) in Tampa.
Curtis Robinson, 2019. Photo by Karen Hickey/ISIphotos.com
Tight end Zach Ertz had one of the great Super Bowl moments among Stanford alums, catching the winning touchdown pass in the Eagles' 41-33 victory over New England in Super Bowl LII (Feb. 4, 2018). Ertz had seven catches for 67 yards, including an 11-yarder from Nick Foles with 2:21 left to put the Eagles ahead 38-33. Three former Card played for the Patriots: Fleming, defensive back Johnson Bademosi, and safety Jordan Richards.
An unsung NFL championship game hero was Norm Standlee of the 1941 Chicago Bears. A year after helping Stanford to an undefeated season and share of the national championship, Standlee rushed 17 times for 89 yards with two touchdowns, caught two passes for 34 yards, and intercepted a pass, in a 37-9 victory over the New York Giants (Dec. 21, 1941).
Adding to Stanford's Super Bowl legacy are its coaches. Four former Stanford coaches became head coaches of Super Bowl winners.
Bill Walsh coached the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles. He also spent three stints as a Stanford coach – as an assistant from 1963-65 and head coach in 1977-78 and 1992-94.
George Seifert, a Stanford defensive backs coach from 1972-74, coached the 49ers to wins in Super Bowl XXIV over Denver (Jan. 28, 1990) and Super Bowl XXIX (Jan. 20, 1995) over San Diego.
Dick Vermeil was a Stanford assistant from 1965-67, including head freshman coach in 1965, before he was a head coach on two Super Bowl teams: the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles that lost to Plunkett's Raiders in Super Bowl XV, and the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who held off the Tennessee Titans, 23-16, to win Super Bowl XXXIV (Jan. 30, 2000) in Atlanta.
And Brian Billick, a Stanford assistant head coach and tight ends coach from 1989-91, coached one of history's great defensive teams to a Super Bowl victory when the Baltimore Ravens beat the Giants, 34-17, in Super Bowl XXXV (Jan. 28, 2001) in Tampa.