Best Stanford football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From John Elway to Andrew Luck

Of course, quarterback John Elway was going to end up on this list. Though he played his first college season in the 1970s, Elway was only a true freshman who played sparingly for the Cardinal. But in the years that followed, it became very clear Elway was a transformative playmaker at the quarterback position, arguably the greatest NFL Draft prospect of all time.

Elway completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 9,349 yards, 77 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. Though he never played in a bowl game during his four years at Stanford, Elway was a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1980 and 1982. In Elway’s senior season, he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy to Georgia Bulldogs running back Herschel Walker.

The 1982 unanimous All-American also played baseball for the Cardinal while he was at Stanford. He was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1981 MLB Draft. Though he played some minor league ball in the Yankees organization, everybody knew he was destined for greatness in the NFL. Elway would go on to be the greatest player in the history of the Denver Broncos.

Elway had his No. 7 jersey retired by Stanford. In 2000, two years after winning his second Super Bowl with the Broncos, Elway would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Four years later, he’d earn Canton enshrinement on the first ballot. For a guy who never played in a bowl game, you’re not going to have a better football career than someone like Elway.