1983 Stanford Cardinal football team

1983 Stanford Cardinal football
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Record	1–10 (1–7 Pac-10)
Head coach	Paul Wiggin (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Fassel (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	A. J. Christoff (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Stanford Stadium
Seasons ←  1982 1984  →

1983 Pacific-10 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 17 UCLA $	6	–	1	–	1			7	–	4	–	1
Washington	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Washington State	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
USC	4	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Arizona	4	–	3	–	1			7	–	3	–	1
Arizona State	3	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Oregon	3	–	3	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
California	3	–	4	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Oregon State	1	–	6	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Stanford	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1983 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season and played home games on campus at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Led by alumnus Paul Wiggin, in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Cardinal won only one game, ^[1] the program's worst record since going winless in  1960. ^[2] He was fired on November 11, but was allowed to finish out the season. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Stanford struggled on offense behind true freshman quarterback John Paye. Previous QB John Elway, a four-year starter, was the first selection of the 1983 NFL draft and started as a rookie for the Denver Broncos.

After the season in December, Jack Elway was hired from nearby San Jose State, where he went 35–20–1 (.634) in five seasons. ^{[5] [6]} His Spartans had defeated Stanford the previous three years, the first two while his son John was the Cardinal quarterback. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 10	No. 2 Oklahoma *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 14–27	62,778	[10]
September 17	at Illinois *	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	L 7–17	72,852	[11]
September 24	San Jose State *	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	L 10–23	68,201	[12]
October 1	at No. 20 Arizona State	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	L 11–29	53,795	[13]
October 8	UCLA	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 21–39	55,804	[14]
October 15	at No. 17 Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	L 15–32	59,270	[15]
October 22	No. 19 Arizona	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	W 31–22	40,208	[16]
October 29	at Oregon State	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	L 18–31	22,000	[17]
November 5	at USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 7–30	50,867	[18]
November 12	Oregon	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA	L 7–16	31,420	[19]
November 19	California	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	L 18–27	84,804	[20]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1983 Stanford Cardinal football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB John Paye	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Paul Wiggin Coordinators/assistant coaches Ray Handley –Associate head coach Jim Fassel –Offensive Coordinator Jim Anderson –Running back Dave Ottmar –Wide receiver Bryan Shaw –Tight end A. J. Christoff –Defensive Coordinator Larry Mac Duff –Defensive line Mike Nolan –Inside linebacker Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Wiggin thrilled, Stanford wins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. October 23, 1983. p. 7C.
2. "Stanford fires Paul Wiggin". Tri-City Herald . Kennewick, Washington. Associated Press. November 12, 1983. p. C1.
3. "Stanford fires Wiggin". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 12, 1983. p. 19.
4. "Wiggin fired by Stanford". Lodi News-Sentinel. UPI. November 12, 1983. p. 9.
5. "Stanford picks Elway". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 15, 1983. p. 37.
6. "Stanford's newest Elway vows winning program". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. December 15, 1983. p. D3.
7. "Willhite, San Jose St. upstage Stanford, Elway 28-6". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 20, 1981. p. 6C.
8. "San Jose St. triumphs 35-31 in the Battle of the Elways". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 19, 1982. p. 9B.
9. "San Jose upends Stanford". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 25, 1983. p. 7B.
10. "OU runs by Stanford". Wichita Falls Times. September 11, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Illinois discovers running game in victory". The Pantagraph. September 18, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "San Jose State defeats Stanford again". The Modesto Bee. September 25, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Stanford loses 4th straight". The San Francisco Examiner. October 2, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Stanford falls, 39–21, but Bruins lose Bono". The Los Angeles Times. October 9, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Hinds leads Washington over Stanford". Oakland Tribune. October 16, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Stanford finally wins". Statesman Journal. October 23, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
17. "OSU gives Avezzano 1st Pac-10 win". Corvallis Gazette-Times. October 30, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
18. "USC resorts to some Card tricks". The Daily Breeze. November 6, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
19. "Rejuvenated Ducks eclipse Stanford 16–7". The Sunday Oregonian. November 13, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
20. "Cal hands Wiggin a going-away loss". The Press Democrat. November 20, 1983. Retrieved February 23, 2025– via Newspapers.com.