Stanford Football Lays a New Foundation

When Jim Harbaugh was hired as Stanford's newest head coach in December of 2006, he famously announced that he'd be approaching the job "with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind." While that statement caused eyes to roll up and down the Pac-10 and even, I'd imagine, within the halls of Stanford's athletic department, Harbaugh had no choice. He was taking over a team that had finished 1-11 in 2006, one of the worst performances in the history of a program without much positive history. Before his hire there were many observers -- and even some Stanford decision makers, if we're to believe the lore -- who no longer thought Stanford could field a competitive Division I football team.

But Harbaugh believed.

Stanford's newest head coach is Troy Taylor, and while no one will ever confuse his personality with Harbaugh's, Taylor's opening press conference had one thing in common with Harbaugh's -- hope. Following Stanford's recent slide to the bottom of the PAC-12 during an era of unprecedented change across the college football landscape, once again there have been voices calling for change. It was no longer realistic, some argued, for Stanford to compete at this level in this era. (A Stanford professor even used an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times to lament what he saw as the folly of Stanford Football.)

But Troy Taylor believes.