Bob Murphy

His vast knowledge and insight of Stanford University and its athletic history will provide a unique perspective to Cardinal fans.

ONE GREAT PLAY BY ONE PLAYER CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE!

September 28, 2006

I suppose the reason I was asked to write these little stories is that there are a lot of wonderful memories after you have been in front of a microphone talking about Stanford football for the past 42 years.

Each week, as our guys go up against another big time opponent, there are certain images that become vividly clear from a game way back in the past. Some of these are plays that propelled a Stanford team into a Bowl Game with memories that will last a lifetime.

This week as Stanford meets UCLA in the Rose Bowl, I can see that play back in the 1986 game just as clearly as if it happened yesterday. I had everything to do with Jack Elway coming to San Jose State in 1979, and I had a little to do with him coming to Stanford in 1984. Jack always had a great mind for the passing game, and he had a kid named John who obviously inherited some of that stuff.

With John Paye at quarterback, and people like Brad Muster, Jeff James and Harrison Dillard, this team could really move the football. Over on the other side was a guy by the name of Toi Cook. He used to catch some of the other teams passes, make a lot of tackles, and he would later spend a whole lot of time in the National Football League. Jack's 1986 group won their first four games, then lost a real tough one to the Huskies. They won easy at Oregon 41-7, lost to the Trojans 10-0, and then blew out the Cougars.

Now it was a major league match-up with the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. With a 6-2 record, this one meant everything for a solid winning season and a possible Bowl Game, maybe even one of the big ones. There simply were not all the Bowl Games then that there are now with just about every winning team going some place.

UCLA beat Iowa in the Rose Bowl game 45-28 the year before, and Terry Donohue now had another very talented squad. This Stanford game was crucial for them! They had been beaten by #1 Oklahoma in their opener, and just barely edged by Arizona State, 16-9. The Sun Devils would go on to win the Pac-10 and beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl 22-15.

This game on November 8 was a big time match-up between two traditional Pac-10 rivals with the quick and powerful Bruins as the solid favorite. But it was a surprising Stanford group that jumped out to a 14-0 lead, and then led again 21-7 on a Brad Muster dive into the end zone. After a Bruin field goal, Muster plowed another 4 yards for a score that put the Cardinal up 28-16.

But, with 7:03 on the clock, Gaston Green, a fast and powerful running back who would be an All American a year later, plowed in from two yards to make it a 5-point spread at 28-23, and all kinds of time left.

Now, here is the story. You might have guessed the Bruins would get the ball back with plenty of time to win. With just over two minutes on the clock, UCLA had the ball on the Stanford 19, only one yard to go for a first down.

Talk about a tough defensive assignment to win a big game….4th and 1 at the 19 with plenty of time on the clock. On the radio, my old partner Don Klein and I described a defensive play which was one of the best ever. Defensive back Brad Humphreys, a junior and a graduate of Saratoga High School, and tough as can be, made the play!!! Evading all blockers and with lightning speed, Brad hit Green so hard he was air born, landing out of bounds for a loss of two yards!!! STANFORD BALL!

The guys ran 1:58 off the clock, beat UCLA 28-23, and pointed themselves toward the Gator Bowl, and a match up with Clemson. Obviously there were many other elements to a wonderful 8-4 season, a magic win over a great Bruin team and all the rest. But, on 4th and 1, it was one fabulous play by one guy that made the difference. Thanks to Brad Humphreys for one of the great moments in Stanford Football History.

Murph's Memories Archive