Led by alumnus Paul Wiggin, in his fourth and final season as head coach, the Cardinal won only one game,[1] the program's worst record since going winless in 1960.
[2] He was fired on November 11, but was allowed to finish out the season.
[2][3][4] Stanford struggled on offense behind true freshman quarterback John Paye.
Previous QB John Elway, a four-year starter, was the first selection of the 1983 NFL draft and started as a rookie for the Denver Broncos.
[5][6] His Spartans had defeated Stanford the previous three years, the first two while his son John was the Cardinal quarterback.