Stanford to retire John Elway’s No. 7
By Josh Sanchez
The Stanford Cardinal are set to retire the No. 7 during halftime of their November 7 home game against the Oregon Ducks. No. 7 is the jersey number that was worn by the great John Elway and it seems like an honor that is long overdue.
Stanford made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today is an exciting day for Stanford football, and you can’t talk about Stanford football without talking about John Elway,” said the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw. “Like Frankie Albert and Jim Plunkett before him, John’s Elway’s greatness set the standard for quarterback play for a generation of athletes.
“Through the years the No. 7 has meant so much to the Stanford community, most recently with the record-breaking career of Toby Gerhart. Current student-athletes Ty Montgomery and Aziz Shittu both will wear the No. 7 jersey and be the last two to put it on for Stanford University.”
Five-star defensive lineman Aziz Shittu will be the last player to wear the No. 7 at Stanford and he is determined to make sure that he makes a big statement on the field:
Elway was very appreciated by the honor and released a statement to respond to his number being retired.
“I am extremely humbled that Stanford has chosen to recognize me in this very special way,” Elway said. “It’s a tremendous honor to join Cardinal legends Ernie Nevers and Jim Plunkett with this distinction.”
“Being a student-athlete at Stanford and earning my degree from the school are two things I take the utmost pride in accomplishing. Without question, my four years at Stanford played an integral role in who I am and any success I’ve had. In particular, my teammates and coaches deserve so much credit for making me better, both on and off the field.”
“I will always cherish my time on campus as well as the friendships from Stanford that have lasted more than 30 years. I look forward to returning for this occasion and celebrating with the great Cardinal fans.”
Stanford and Oregon are both ranked in the preseason top five, so it will be a great game along with an incredible ceremony for the fans in attendance.