1980 Stanford Cardinals football team

1980 Stanford Cardinals football
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record6–5 (3–4 Pac-10)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDennis Green (1st season)
Offensive schemeWest Coast
Defensive coordinatorJack Harbaugh (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumStanford Stadium
Seasons
← 1979
1981 →
1980 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 16 Washington $ 6 1 0 9 3 0
No. 13 UCLA 5 2 0 9 2 0
No. 11 USC 4 2 1 8 2 1
Arizona State 5 3 0 7 4 0
Oregon 4 3 1 6 3 2
Stanford 3 4 0 6 5 0
Arizona 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington State 3 4 0 4 7 0
California 3 5 0 3 8 0
Oregon State 0 8 0 0 11 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Stanford Cardinals football team represented Stanford University in the Pacific-10 Conference during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Following the surprise resignation of Rod Dowhower after one season in January,[1][2][3] Stanford's new head coach was alumnus Paul Wiggin,[4][5] and he led the Cardinals to a 6–5 record (3–4 in Pac-10, tied for sixth).[6] Home games were played on campus at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Hired in February, Wiggin was a former star defensive end at Stanford (All-Pacific Coast in 1955, 1956), played 11 years in the National Football League (NFL), was a head coach for three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1975–1977), and most recently was the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.[4][7]

After the season in December, offensive coordinator Dennis Green became the head coach at Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference,[8][9] and receivers/backs coach Jim Fassel was promoted. Green returned to Stanford as head coach in 1989.

  1. ^ "Card coach resigns". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. January 24, 1980. p. 30.
  2. ^ "Dowhower suddenly leaves Stanford for NFL". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. January 24, 1980. p. 3B.
  3. ^ "Dowhower resigns as Stanford football coach". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. January 24, 1980. p. 18.
  4. ^ a b "Wiggin Stanford football coach". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. February 2, 1980. p. 10.
  5. ^ "Wiggin gets Stanford job". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. February 2, 1980. p. 14.
  6. ^ "Cal shuffles the Cards, 28-23". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 23, 1980. p. 4B.
  7. ^ "Stanford job to thrill Wiggin". Lawrence Journal-World. (Kansas). February 2, 1980. p. 9.
  8. ^ "Green is coach at Northwestern". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. December 24, 1980. p. 12.
  9. ^ "Big 10 gets its first black head football coach". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. December 24, 1980. p. 9.