Defensive end Kailee Wong (1994-97, and lucky #13 above) was a solid contributor on defense during his freshman year, but developed into one of the best defenders in country by the time he finished his senior season. His junior and senior seasons, when taken together, stand as two of the greatest defensive campaigns in Stanford history. He tallied 21 and 22 tackles-for-loss, the fourth- and fifth-best totals in school history, and his 50 career TFLs rank fourth on the Stanford list. Wong also ranks third on the all-time career sack list with 26.
Following his junior season Wong was named first team All-Pac-10, team MVP, and defensive MVP of the Norwest Sun Bowl, a 38-0 victory over Michigan State. Cardinal fans will likely remember one of his biggest highlights from that season, a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown against Cal in the Big Game.
Not surprisingly, more accolades followed after Wong's senior season, when he duplicated his All-Pac-10 and team MVP awards from the previous season, but added an All-America selection while leading the conference in sacks and TFLs. Wong was one of the best defensive ends in Stanford history, and the 14th best player of the past 25 years. Trust me.
Previously ranked:
#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.
