Conference Pacific-8 Conference AP No. 8 | Coaches No. 10 1970 record 9–3 (6–1 Pac-8) | |
Head coach John Ralston (8th year) Home stadium Stanford Stadium (c. 85,500, grass) | ||
The 1970 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University during the 1970 college football season.
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Season
The Indians won the Pac-8 conference with an overall record of 9–3 and went on to beat #2 Ohio State in the 1971 Rose Bowl. With eighteen passing and three rushing touchdowns added to his 2,715 passing yards on the year (which broke his own conference record), Rose Bowl MVP Jim Plunkett was awarded the Heisman Trophy. The 1970 college season had been the "Year of the Quarterback," and Plunkett beat out Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Archie Manning of Ole Miss to win the award.
Plunkett was the first Latino to win the Heisman Trophy. Aside from the Heisman, he captured the Maxwell Award for the nation's best quarterback and was named player of the year by United Press International, The Sporting News, and SPORT magazine. In addition, the American College Football Coaches Association designated him as their Offensive Player of the Year.