Ernie nevers was such a good football player that legendary Stanford coach Glenn S. “Pop” Warner claimed he was better than Jim Thorpe, whom Warner also coached. Sports Illustrated in 1962 named Nevers the best college football player of all time.
In August, the U.S. Postal Service issued commemorative stamps of Nevers, ’25, and fellow greats Walter Camp, Red Grange and Bronco Nagurski. The Early Football Heroes stamps are the first to feature a Stanford player. (Warner, who coached Stanford from 1924 to 1932, had his own stamp in 1997.)
Nevers, a fullback, is best remembered for his performance in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Playing with special braces to support his ankles, both of which had been broken during the season, Nevers outgained the famed Four Horsemen backfield of Notre Dame, but the Irish prevailed, 27-10. He went on to play professional football and in 1929 scored 40 points in one game for the Chicago Cardinals, a record that has never been matched.
