STANFORD FOOTBALL
Looking for luck with no Luck?

Stephan Taylor brings back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to the Stanford arsenal.

David Shaw's year couldn't have gone much better. The former Cardinal wide receiver, offensive coordinator and coach's son finished off his first season as head coach with the team's second-straight BCS bowl appearance and an overall 11-2 record.

Stanford football has never been better, producing the last three Heisman runners-up: running back Toby Gerhart and quarterback Andrew Luck. In the last two seasons, Stanford has gone 23-3, winning the Orange Bowl in 2011 and losing in overtime at this year's Fiesta Bowl.

With two-time Heisman runner-up Luck at quarterback, Stanford has experienced arguably its best three-year stretch in school history. Luck is now headed to the NFL, and the 2012 Cardinal will look for a new signal caller as Luck, offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro, and tight end Coby Fleener head to the NFL.

Even with Luck at quarterback, the offense has revolved around a strong running game. Returning for his senior year is Stepfan Taylor, who has back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He was part of a team of running backs who averaged over 200 yards per game in each of the last two years.

Returning to the defense after a year's absence due to a knee injury is all-conference linebacker Shayne Skov. As a sophomore he led the team in tackles and was headed into last season as a potential high honors candidate. He will be joined in a talented defensive unit that includes Chase Thomas, who spurned the NFL and decided to return for his senior season. Youngsters Jarek Lancaster and A.J. Tarpley finished first and third in tackles last year, and both return after being first-year starters last year.

This year's schedule begins with San Jose State in the annual Bill Walsh Legacy Game Sept. 1. For ticket information, call 800-STANFORD (7826).

Baseball

Stanford baseball will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its championship team during the final weekend of the season when it hosts Cal Berkeley May 25-27. The baseball team has three to four potential first-round picks in its lineup and is already ranked No. 1 this season.

Like the Olympics around the corner, Stanford athletics has long been home to some of the greatest athletes in the world. At the last Olympics, Stanford sent 49 affiliated athletes to Beijing and won 25 medals. In 2004, Cardinal athletes won 17 medals, and in 2000 they won 10. Some of the all-time greats from Stanford include 12-time medalist and four-time Olympian Jenny Thompson, four-time gold medalist Janet Evans, and gold medalists Summer Sanders and Pablo Morales. Kerri Walsh is likely a favorite to medal in beach volleyball with her partner Misty May.