Hall of Fame
Position: Fullback
Years: 1923-1925
Place of Birth: Willow River, MN
Date of Birth: Jun 11, 1903
Place of Death: San Rafael, CA
Date of Death: May 03, 1976
Jersey Number: 1
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200
High School: Superior, WI (Central HS)\rSanta Rosa, CA (Santa Rosa HS)
The capacity crowd of 53,000 awaited anxiously in the Rose Bowl that New Years Day in 1925. Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen were about to play Stanford. The Irish and the Horsemen won, 27-10, but no one would forget the courageous performance of Stanford fullback Ernie Nevers. Only five days after having a cast removed from a broken ankle, and with his foot bound tightly in a brace, Nevers dominated the game, setting a Rose Bowl record with 34 carries and gaining 114 yards, only 13 less than the combined total for Notre Dame's legendary backfield. And, for good measure, Nevers averaged 42 yards punting. Nevers was a block-busting back, spurred by a ferocity and pulsing competitive drive. Hall of Fame coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, who coached Nevers and the legendary Jim Thorpe picked Nevers over Thorpe as his personal choice as the "greatest football player of all time." In 1969, Nevers was named to Football's All-Time Team, which was part of college football's Centennial celebration. Nevers was Stanford's captain in 1925 when he led a 24-17 upset of arch rival California. He handled the ball on all but three plays as Stanford posted its first win over Cal in eight years.
