Big Game Week is meant to remind students of the pride we have in our school and our athletic program. Events ranging from the impaling of the Bear in the claw to the Big Game Hourly Countdown and Rally bring students together across disciplines and dorms to support our football team. The Axe Committee and the students with the points to gain priority seating into Big Game seem excited through the first game week in recent memory that finds Stanford favored. However, our quick ascendancy seems to be lost on many students on the Farm.
Current seniors on the Cardinal football team will still recall the abysmal 1-11 they were forced to endure as freshmen. From the student perspective, many underclassmen attended Big Game simply because engagement in the rivalry is a Stanford tradition, not because they actually believed Stanford could win. In 2007, when we upset Cal here at home, the victory sent shockwaves through campus. The mere consideration of the tearing down of goalposts here at Stanford is a foreign one, but such sheer displays of exaltation were on the minds of many. Our upset of formerly perennial power USC that same year prompted a Maples Pavilion courtyard-filling rally, greeting players upon their return, and a large Quad bonfire.
This year, as the Cardinal team enjoys its most extraordinary season in recent memory, a similar outpouring of camaraderie seems to be missing from campus. Currently ranked number 14 in the nation–with a plausible chance at the Rose Bowl–we seem to have been unable to muster the same kind of campus-wide vigor as when we were less than impressive and surprised everyone. Though many students made the trek to USC and proudly stormed the field after our victory, little of that energy translated to campus enthusiasm later that night. The crowd that met the returning players at Maples Pavilion was meager compared to the one from two years ago, even though the Cardinal completely trounced USC this time around. Only a few seasons ago, we celebrated small victories against Pac-10 powerhouses as if we had won the conference. Now, when we actually have the chance to be conference champions, our expression of support seems to be lacking.
The team’s success in Big Game, and through the coming weeks, has positive repercussions not only for our football program, but also for the whole institution. Highly respected academically and for our Director’s Cup-winning athletics department, our football success helps focus even more attention on our campus and community. A recent New York Times piece on Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart is just one of the lights currently being shined on the Cardinal football team, and thus on Stanford as well. The article noted we have seen four alumni become Supreme Court justices since our last Heisman winner in 1970. The Editorial Board hopes our continued success on the football field will help hasten the day when Stanford is envied as much for its football program as for its academic departments and faculty.
While Big Game week invokes feelings of nostalgic pride regarding our recent upset of Cal and of “The Play,” our increasing fervor for our team should also stem from an understanding of how far we have come in such a short time. Coach Harbaugh sent coaches and assistants to every house meeting his first year on campus as one of his many efforts to remind students of our program’s storied history. The Editorial Board hopes all who are part of our campus community reach back to the program and find a way to support our team this weekend. Whether you are at the game or not, have pride in the Stanford football team, and remember how far we have come.