1957 record 4–4–1 (0–3 PCC) | Home stadium Neale Stadium | |
Conference Pacific Coast Conference Head coach Skip Stahley (4th year) | ||
The 1957 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1957 college football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Skip Stahley and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
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Season
Led on the field by quarterbacks Howard Willis and Gary Kenworthy, Idaho compiled a 4–4–1 overall record and were 0–3 in the PCC.
The Vandals suffered a third straight loss in the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, falling 21–13 at Rogers Field in Pullman on November 16. The loss prevented the first winning season for Idaho football since 1938.
Notable players
This Vandal team had several players who went on to extended careers in professional football. Jerry Kramer of Sandpoint played eleven seasons at right guard with the Green Bay Packers and won five NFL titles (and the first two Super Bowls) under head coach Vince Lombardi. He was an All-Pro five times and was the lead blocker on the famous Packer Sweep. Kramer made the NFL's all-decade team for the 1960s and is the only member of the NFL's 50th anniversary team not in the Hall of Fame. Wayne Walker of Boise played fifteen seasons with the Detroit Lions as an outside linebacker and was named All-Pro three times. Both were selected in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL Draft; Kramer was 39th overall and Walker 45th, and both were periodic placekickers as pros. (As Vandals, Kramer was the kicker and Walker was the long snapper.)
Sophomore Jim Norton of Fullerton, California was a safety and punter for nine seasons with the Houston Oilers; he was the all-time interceptions leader in the American Football League and his #43 was the first retired by the franchise.
Jim Prestel of Indianapolis was a defensive tackle for eight seasons in the NFL, primarily with the expansion Minnesota Vikings. A junior in 1957, he missed most of the season due to his mother's terminal illness. Selected in the sixth round of the 1959 NFL Draft, 70th overall, he was granted another year of eligibility and played for Idaho in 1959 and began his pro career with the Cleveland Browns in 1960. Prestel was also a standout player on the Vandal basketball team. He played in his final game at Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse in late October with a broken foot, then was sidelined and missed the basketball season.