Silver Squad #5: RB Brad Muster

I first started hearing stories about Brad Muster (1984-87 within the first few days after my arrival on campus as a freshman in the fall of 1987. I had been a huge sports fan for all of my young life prior to then, but sadly I knew only two things about Stanford football: there was John Elway, and there was the Play. I had never heard of Brad Muster.

People spoke of Muster in godlike terms, and their eyes grew wide as the superlatives fell freely from their lips. When he ran the ball, he was unstoppable. When he ventured out of the backfield as a receiver, his hands were like magnets. When he wandered campus during the week, he gave impromptu lectures on nuclear physics and saved babies from burning houses. He was mythic.

Based on the results of his junior season in 1986, some were touting Muster as a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. He had rushed for 1,053 yards and twelve touchdowns, but added to that were a ridiculous sixty-one receptions for another 565 yards and a score. The highlight of that season might have his huge game against UCLA, during which he set a Stanford record with 38 carries while gaining 183 yards and scoring two touchdowns. (You can read more about his performance here.) He was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year following that 1986 season, adding to an impressive resumé that already included All-Pac-1o nods in '85 and '86.

Muster's name sits near the top of many of Stanford's all-time receiving lists. He's tied for the most receptions in a single game (14), has the second-highest season total (78 in 1985), and is fourth on the career list (194). Amazingly, he led the Cardinal in both rushing and receiving in each of his first three seasons.

This is the stuff that legends are made of, so it isn't surprising that he entered his senior year with such lofty goals, even if they had been set by others. Unfortunately, I never got to watch that Brad Muster. Injuries derailed his senior season, and he ended up with only 543 yards rushing.

Even so, he was one of the greats.

Previously ranked:
#6 Ron George
#7 Glyn Milburn
#8 Ed McCaffrey
#9 Owen Marecic
#10 Tommy Vardell
#11 Tank Williams
#12 Steve Stenstrom
#13 Riall Johnson
#14 Kailee Wong
#15 Eric Heitmann
#15 Chris Marinelli
#16 John Lynch
#17 Kwame Harris
#18 Chase Beeler
#19 Willie Howard
#20 Shayne Skov
#21 DeRonnie Pitts
#22 Anthony Bookman
#23 Sione Fua
#24 Richard Sherman 
#25 John Hopkins

*My first thought was to try to come up with a list of the best Stanford football players of all-time, but I quickly realized that I'm not qualified. I've only been watching Stanford football since the fall of 1987, so I can't really comment intelligently on players who suited up before then. Sure, I know that Jim Plunkett belongs, but I know nothing about Randy Vataha. Sports Illustrated once named Ernie Nevers the greatest college football player of all-time, and that's certainly good enough for me, but how can I possibly rank him against players of a more modern era? So I decided to create a list of the best Stanford players that I've actually seen in my time as a fan, and since that's roughly twenty-five years, I'm calling it the Silver Squad. (Catchy, isn't it?) Anyway, I'd love to hear your own memories of these players, and I won't be offended if you argue about who should or should not have been included on this list. Enjoy.

 

Comments

[Wobber Bawon]

What I remember about Muster was how fast this BIG guy got up to speed. For some reason I don't remember him running much inside the tackles. What impressed was how FAST he got to the outside and up field. There was a disconnect between leg speed and ground speed. Leg speed told you "Muster for 2 yards". Ground speed told you-- after the play-- that he'd gone for 10 yards...often for more.

[Wobber Bawon]

Further thought on Muster
One add: the speed perception disconnect extended to defenders, too. You'd see Muster running and see the leg speed and relative speed of the closing defenders and think "Uh-oh." But Muster would make the corner or blow by the closing defender without any apparent change in his running gait.

The question I have is; How would Muster fit in to the current Stanford running game and the current RB rotation?

[Eric]

"Muster, the ball carrier," some games it was basically comical how repetitively that statement came over the pa system. I recall Chronicle sportswriters describing our offense for some games as muster left, right, and up the middle. But everyone knowing it was going to him didn't keep him fm ripping off 6,8, 10...