April 9, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. -- - The annual Cardinal & White Spring Game will take place on Saturday, April 14 at historic Kezar Stadium, located on Stanyan Street on the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. and admission is free.
Fan Fest activities begin at 12 noon, which includes a Food Truck Festival featuring eight gourmet food trucks, face painting, photo booths and poster creation stations.
Stanford spirit groups will perform throughout the game. The Stanford Axe Committee will also host a trophy tent featuring the Orange Bowl trophy, Legend's Trophy, Jim Plunkett's 1970 Heisman Trophy and one of Stanford's 17 Directors' Cups.
In addition, Stanford football alumni along with members the Cardinal's men's basketball team will be on hand to sign autographs beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Current members of the 2012 Stanford football team will be available to sign autographs following the game.
Public parking is also available at the Millberry Union Garage, located at 500 Parnassus Avenue near the UCSF Medical Center, two blocks away from Kezar Stadium. Limited street parking is also available.
Fans are also encouraged to utilize public transportation, including San Francisco MUNI, BART, Caltrain and Golden Gate Ferry service. Kezar Stadium is conveniently accessible from the N-Judah train and the 6, 7, 71 and 43 MUNI bus lines.
From the East Bay, take BART to the Embarcadero Station and then take the N-Judah MUNI train toward La Playa/Ocean Beach to the Carl and Stanyan stop.
From the Peninsula, take Caltrain northbound to the final San Francisco stop at the King/4th Street and Townsend Street Station and then transfer to the N-Judah MUNI toward La Playa/Ocean Beach and exit at the Carl and Stanyan Street stop.
Golden Gate Ferry service is also available.
Stanford first played a game at Kezar Stadium in 1928, defeating Idaho, 47-0 on October 20. Led by the likes of Frankie Albert, Norm Standlee, Pete Kmetovic and Hugh Gallarneau, Stanford also opened the 1940 season at Kezar with a 27-0 victory over a strong USF team. The win launched a perfect 10-0 season under first-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy, which was capped by a Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska, earning Stanford a second place ranking in the final Associated Press poll.
Stanford's explosive performance against favored USF was so impressive, the team was dubbed as the "Wow Boys," a natural follow up to the "Vow Boys" nickname bestowed on the 1933-35 teams that played in three straight Rose Bowls
The 1940 game against USF at Kezar Stadium also holds historical significance in Stanford lore as it was the first time the team implemented the T-formation under its first year head coach and also marked the unveiling of the team's all-white road uniforms, a look which has carried over to present day.
Stanford played three games during the 1942 season at Kezar, losing to Santa Clara, 14-6 on Oct. 3 and posting wins over USC (14-6) and Washington (20-7) on Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, respectively.
The original Kezar Stadium, located on Stanyan Street on the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, was built in 1925 and had a capacity of nearly 60,000. It hosted a variety of sporting events, including football, soccer, lacrosse, boxing and rugby. In 1989, the stadium was demolished and a new, more modern facility was built. The new stadium capacity is 10,000.
Kezar Stadium has a rich tradition in football as well as collegiate sports. The original Kezar Stadium was the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers as well as the Oakland Raiders. Kezar has hosted the annual East-West Shrine Game more than 45 times over the game's history.
The old Kezar Stadium was also the home field to St. Mary's College, the University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University. Since 1928, Kezar has hosted the annual city championship game for high school football.