Andrew Luck aims to bring Stanford football back to glory days
STANFORD Andrew Luck doesn t have to use his imagination to envision a time when Stanford was one of the top teams in college football The two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up went - in his final two seasons as Stanford s quarterback with consecutive Top finishes and appearances in the Orange and Fiesta bowls Luck is embracing his new and perhaps more key role on The Farm He was hired in November as the band s first general manager and is determined to return the shine to his alma mater I am not here to steward an also-ran in the college football world mentioned Luck who played at Stanford from - We achieve We aspire That s part of Stanford s ethos the pursuit of excellence But a lot has changed since Luck who turns this month left The Farm and was selected first overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL Draft Since the gang has produced four consecutive - seasons and watched nearly players transfer with fewer than transferring to Stanford Off the field the school fled the splintering Pac- to join the Atlantic Coast Conference and this spring there was a messy breakup with Troy Taylor who was fired after two seasons as head coach amid assertions of misconduct The optimism and national spotlight that once surrounded the plan have dimmed replaced by questions of whether Stanford can still compete at the highest level The next chapter After Luck surprisingly declared his NFL retirement two weeks before the start of the season at the age of and after just six seasons he largely disappeared from the spotlight He returned to Stanford and earned a master s degree in training and helped raise his two daughters with his wife Nicole a former Stanford gymnast He got his football fix as a part-time volunteer coach for the Palo Alto High JV gang But when given the opportunity to work on The Farm again something clicked I m young and I ve got a lot more to give the world Luck declared This opportunity aligned with where my family was with what our university needed and with what I believe in I love this project I believe in our young men This just feels right The role is a new one for Stanford and in a large number of avenues a new one in the broader world of college football Across the Bay Cal brought in Ron Rivera an alum with deep NFL ties to serve as its football GM Luck is part operations chief part initiative architect and part culture-keeper And he s doing it with a deep understanding of what makes Stanford well Stanford It s been periods of insane intensity Luck declared But I love it Getting to be back on the practice field walking off after training camp with this amazing group of young men and coaches Let s embrace this opportunity Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck left and coach Jim Harbaugh are seen with the trophy at Sun Life Stadium after the win over Virgina Tech Monday Jan in Miami Gardens Joe Cavaretta South Florida Sun Sentinel Building a new model Name image and likeness NIL deals conference realignment and a growing gap in athletic department budgets are forcing programs to adapt or danger being left behind Luck doesn t see the landscape as a threat to Stanford but an opening This new world of college football Luck reported it s a chance for Stanford to reassert itself He invokes the names that helped shape the Cardinal s football legacy Jim Plunkett John Elway Pop Warner Bill Walsh There s years of history here he says That s why I believe in this place And if Stanford is going to write the next chapter of that legacy it starts with the people in the locker room Guys who want to challenge themselves and grow who want to get the largest part out of themselves this is the place for you Luck reported Reuniting with a trusting voice One of Luck s first big moves was firing Taylor when reports surfaced about the coach s alleged mistreatment of female staff Needing an interim coach who could fill in right away Luck turned to Frank Reich his head coach with the Colts in Luck was the NFL Comeback Performer of the Year and the Colts made the playoffs during their one year together These guys will joke about hearing me saying and Andrew saying Hey it s all about getting percent better every day going - every day That s the way you build success Reich announced It s a commitment to that Reich mentioned the Luck he saw as a quarterback carries the same traits now as a leader This extreme confidence Reich noted But also this great humility to know that you can get better every day Stanford University s new interim football coach Frank Reich right shakes hands with Andrew Luck general manager of the Stanford football scheme during a press conference on April in Stanford Calif Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group Dai Sugano Bay Area News Group The beauty of the grind This spring Luck was all smiles as he walked off the practice field with the gang He remains animated when talking about the day-to-day grind of football It might seem like a pressure-packed job to try to engineer a turnaround at his alma mater it s nothing that Luck hadn t faced before during his days as a top-flight quarterback I feel such purpose Luck mentioned Connected to alignment with the mission of this university and what it means to be part of a campaign that I was a performer of that I was a fan of and that I m an alum of Related Articles Big Ten expansion history suggests USC UCLA Washington face steep climb Part of wild UCLA-Tennessee QB swap Antioch s Joey Aguilar excited to start for No Vols Big Ten picks Penn State Ohio State Oregon lead our forecast Stanford names transfer Gulbranson its starting quarterback heading into season opener Cal names true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele starting QB This time the challenge is different but the stakes are just as high And Luck believes the formula remains the same beliefs consistency and belief He hopes with hard work the right people and specific fortunate bounces Stanford can rejoin the upper echelon of the sport If it does the Cardinal s new era will be led by a man who s come home not to relive the past but to shape the future
