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Cardinal Conversation: Troy Walters

Any way you choose to measure such things, Troy Walters (1996-99) is the best wide receiver in the history of Stanford football, and no one else is close. He had the best single game (9 catches for 278 yards and 3 touchdowns vs. UCLA in 1999) and the two best seasons (1,206 yards in '97 and a Stanford-record 1,508 in '99) in school history, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he sits comfortably atop the career list as well with 4,047 yards, more than a thousand yards ahead of the next best total. Oh, and he also holds school records for receptions in a season (86 in 1997) and a career (248). 

Walters's 1999 season was legendary. He was a consensus All-America, won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver, and helped lead the Cardinal to the Rose Bowl, its first in almost three decades. Following his time at Stanford, Walters spent eight years in the NFL with the Vikings, Colts, Cardinals, and Lions before embarking on a coaching career. He is currently the receivers coach at the University of Colorado, and last week he took time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about his life in football. Enjoy...

Cardinal Conversation: Ed McCaffrey

With as many great quarterbacks that have made their way through the Stanford football program, it's no surprise that there's been a number of excellent wide receivers catching their passes. One of the best was Ed McCaffrey, who arrived at Stanford in 1986 and left after the 1990 season as one of the greatest ever to wear the Cardinal and White. Young Stanford fans may only know him as Christian McCaffrey's father, but the old man was a player in his own right. His senior season was legendary, as he caught the last touchdown pass in the miraculous Big Game victory over Cal, was named first-team All-America, and was selected in the third round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants. In 2008 he was inducted into the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Earlier this week Ed was nice enough to spend some time talking to me about all this stuff, and the result is a rather interesting conversation. Enjoy...

Cardinal Conversation: Glyn Milburn

The legacy of Stanford running backs stretches back to Ernie Nevers and extends forward to include names such as Darin Nelson, Tommy Vardell, Toby Gerhart, and Stepfan Taylor. Most of those players would be described as power backs, but Glyn Milburn, unquestionably one of the greatest players in Stanford history, was more dash and flash than smash and crash. (Check out this highlight video for evidence.)

Milburn arrived as a transfer from Oklahoma in 1990, and over the course of the next three seasons he made a huge impact on the college football world and left his mark on the Stanford record book. Perhaps the most versatile player in Cardinal history, Milburn holds the Stanford record for all-purpose yards in a single game (379) as well as the two highest season totals, 2234 in 1992 and 2222 in 1990. Not surprisingly, he was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

Last week Mr. Milburn was kind enough to spend some time talking to me about all this, as well as what brought him to Stanford in the first place, and his journey through the NFL and beyond after leaving the Farm. Enjoy...

Cardinal Conversation: Tommy Vardell

Much has been made, and rightly so, about the legacy of quarterbacks at Stanford University, but few schools in America can match the rich history of running backs who have worn the Cardinal and White. Brad Muster was a senior when I was a freshman, so the first great tailback whose career I followed completely was Tommy Vardell. A bruising back, Vardell ended his career at or near the top of must Stanford rushing lists and held the mark for career touchdowns scored until Toby Gerhart passed him a few years ago. If you weren't lucky enough to watch Vardell play, click here and be thankful you weren't playing linebacker or defensive back in the Pac-10 back in the early 90s.

Vardell's playing days are obviously behind him, and rather than running through would-be tacklers, he instead spends his free time wrangling sheep, goats, pigs, a horse, and a cow on a five-acre farm in Northern California. Last fall he was kind enough to spend some time talking to me about his playing days with Stanford and in the NFL. I know you'll enjoy our conversation, so I'll get out of the way now.

Cardinal Conversation: Darrin Nelson

There's a temptation to describe running back Darrin Nelson (1977-81) as one of the most versatile players in Stanford history, but that does him a disservice. The word versatile conjures up images of utility infielders who aren't good enough to play every day, but are good enough to start once in a while at second base or shortstop.

Nelson wasn't good at a few things, he was great at almost everything. When he retired after the 1981 season, his name sat atop almost twenty different Stanford all-time lists, including career receptions, single-game receiving yards, and single-game, season, and career touchdowns. He still holds the school records for career rushing, single-game scoring, and career all-purpose yards.

As a freshman he became the first player in NCAA history to catch fifty passes and rush for more than a thousand yards -- and then he did it twice more. Nelson is the only player in Stanford history to be named first-team All-Conference four times, and he was a consensus first-team All-America and an Academic All-America in 1981. Not surprisingly, he is also a member of the Stanford University Hall of Fame. 

He was kind enough this week to speak with me about his time at Stanford and in the NFL, as well as his current career in athletic administration. Enjoy...

Cardinal Conversation: Damon Dunn

Damon Dunn (1994-97) was a dynamic receiver and kick returner during his time playing for the Stanford Cardinal, and his name can still be found scattered throughout the Stanford record book, particularly in the kick return section, where he still holds the school records for career touchdown returns (3) and longest kick return (100 yards).

Dunn's post-Stanford career has been even more impressive, as he's been a successful real estate developer, dabbled in politics, and focused on numerous philanthropic endeavors. He was also recently named a visiting Fellow in the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Because of all this, he seemed the perfect first subject for what we hope to be an ongoing series of interviews with former Stanford players. I give you Damon Dunn, today's Cardinal Conversation. Enjoy...