As Stanford football has returned to national prominence, much of the recent improvement can be attributed to the great strides made by the defense, specifically the defensive backfield, which always seemed to be an area of profound weakness in years past. One of the best defensive backs to ever play for the Cardinal, however, was Tank Williams (1998-2001).
Williams was that rare player who made an immediate impact upon his arrival, as he played in ten games as a freshman. He earned a starting position as a sophomore, and was a key part of that 1999 Pac-10 championship team. He missed two games during the middle of the season due to injury, but returned to start in the Rose Bowl.
His improvement continued, as he developed into one of the top players in the conference as a junior and was named second team All-Pac-10. Before his senior season, Coach Tyrone Willingham boldly stated that Williams would be the best safety in the conference, and Williams's play did nothing to dispel that idea. An incredibly versatile player, his speed (4.4 in the 40) allowed him to defend the conference's best receivers, and his size (225 pounds) allowed him to play close to line of scrimmage and even line up as a linebacker when needed. He elevated his play enough to earn first team All-Pac-10 honors, and he became the first defensive back in Stanford history to be named first team All-America.
As the current Stanford defense leads the way with a crew of talented safeties and cornerbacks, the player those defensive backs should be emulating is Tank Williams.
Previously ranked:
#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.
[Photo Credit: Gina Gayle/San Francisco Chronicle]
