1968 Stanford Indians football team

1968 Stanford Indians football
Conference	Pacific-8 Conference
Record	6–3–1 (3–3–1 Pac-8)
Head coach	John Ralston (6th season)
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons ←  1967 1969  →

1968 Pacific-8 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 4 USC $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	1	–	1
No. 15 Oregon State	5	–	1	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Stanford	3	–	3	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
California	2	–	2	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Oregon	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
UCLA	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Washington State	1	–	3	–	1			3	–	6	–	1
Washington	1	–	5	–	1			3	–	5	–	2
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1968 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University during the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. The Indians were led by sixth-year head coach John Ralston. On the field, the offense was headed by future Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett, a sophomore in his first season as starting quarterback, and senior wide receiver Gene Washington.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 21	San Jose State *		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	W 68–20	34,000–34,500	[1] [2]
September 28	at Oregon		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	W 28–12	25,000	[3] [4]
October 5	at No. 13 Air Force *		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 24–13	35,000	[5]
October 12	No. 2 USC	No. 18	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	L 24–27	81,000	[6]
October 19	at Washington State	No. 14	Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	T 21–21	15,700	[7]
October 26	at UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 17–20	37,935	[8]
November 2	Oregon State		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 7–29	29,000	[9]
November 9	Washington		Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 35–20	33,000	[10]
November 16	at No. 4 Pacific (CA) *		Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	W 24–0	20,500	[11]
November 23	at No. 18 California		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA (Big Game)	W 20–0	73,987–75,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Roster

1968 Stanford Indians football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 16 Jim Plunkett So WR 18 Gene Washington Sr OL Malcolm Snider Jr WR Bob Moore So OL George Buehler Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Don Parish Jr DL Bill Nicholson Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Bill Shoemaker Sr	Head coach John Ralston (6th year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike White –Offensive line Bob Waters –Wide receivers Dick Vermeil –Backfield Terry DeSylvia –Defense Edward Peasley –Defensive line Jack Christiansen –Linebackers Bill Moultrie –Defensive backs Roger Theder –Backs Jim Troppman –Assistant Bob Gambold –Assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

NFL/AFL draft

Main article: 1969 NFL/AFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Gene Washington	Wide receiver	1	16	San Francisco 49ers
George Buehler	Guard	2	50	Oakland Raiders
Malcolm Snider	Guard	3	54	Atlanta Falcons
Bill Nicholson	Defensive end	6	144	Chicago Bears
Bill Shoemaker	Kicker	15	369	Cincinnati Bengals

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References

1. "Indians crush San Jose". The Sacramento Bee. September 22, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Summary Of Football Game Statistics – Visiting Team (San Jose State vs. Stanford)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 26, 2025.
3. Uhrhammer, Jerry (September 29, 1968). "Tribe's circus downs Ducks". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
4. "Tribe trims Ducks". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. September 29, 1968. p. 16.
5. "Stanford beats Air Force 24–13". St. Petersburg Times. October 6, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Simpson-led Trojans nip Tribe in 27–24 thriller". The Modesto Bee. October 13, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Stanford escapes with tie". The Spokesman-Review. October 20, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "UCLA stops Tribe". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 27, 1968. p. 3B.
9. "OSU smells Roses, 29-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). November 3, 1968. p. 1B.
10. "Sub QB sparks Stanford, 35–20". Vallejo Times-Herald. November 10, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tribe tops UOP". The Sacramento Bee. November 17, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tribe scalps Bears from toes up 20–0". The Fresno Bee. November 24, 1968. Retrieved September 14, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "1968-69 Stanford Cardinal; Schedule/Results". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 25, 2025.
14. "1969 NFL Draft". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved May 24, 2013.

External links

• Game program: Stanford vs. Washington State at Spokane – October 19, 1968