Courtesy: Cardinal Sports Report
On Saturday, November 6, the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021 was inducted: Jayne Appel-Marinelli (women’s basketball), Bob Bryan (men’s tennis), Mike Bryan (men’s tennis), Josh Childress (men’s basketball), Toby Gerhart (football/baseball), Alix Klineman (women’s volleyball), Elle Logan (women’s rowing) and Julia Smit (women’s swimming and diving).
Jayne Appel-Marinelli averaged 14.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during her career, helping the Cardinal reach three consecutive Final Fours in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Her junior year (2008-09 season) was her best statistical season in a Cardinal uniform as she averaged 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game on 60.2% shooting from the field, all of which were career highs. She would go on to have a seven year WNBA career, all with the San Antonio Stars from 2010-2016.
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan cannot be separated from one another as they are projected to get inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2025 for being the greatest men’s doubles team of all-time. They’ve won 16 grand slam titles together, Mike winning two more without Bob, 39 Masters Men’s Doubles titles, an Olympic bronze at the 2008 games in Beijing, and an Olympic gold at the 2012 games in London. In their two seasons at Stanford, they helped the Cardinal win back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, they won the NCAA doubles titles as a duo and in that same year, Bob also won the NCAA singles title, giving him the “Triple Crown” of NCAA tennis for winning the singles, doubles, and team championship.
Josh Childress played three years at Stanford from 2001-04, averaging 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. The Cardinal reached the NCAA tournament all three years Childress played and in the 2004 season, Childress was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and Pac-10 Tournament MVP. Following his Stanford career, Childress was drafted 6th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. During his NBA career, he averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game.
Toby Gerhart had a Stanford career that feels larger than life. He rushed for 3,522 yards and 44 touchdowns in 671 total carries and also was starting outfielder on the baseball team. Gerhart’s senior year in 2009 was his best season as he rushed for 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was named the 2009 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, the 2009 Doak Walker Award winner for being the nation’s top running back and finished second in the 2009 Heisman Trophy voting behind Mark Ingram by just 28 points. The closest Heisman race ever. Following his Stanford career, Gerhart would play six seasons in the NFL, four with the Minnesota Vikings and two with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gerhart was a second round selection of the Vikings in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Alix Klineman played indoor volleyball for Stanford from 2007-10. She was an All-Conference selection all four years and was named the 2010 Volleyball Magazine Player of the Year, 2010 Pac-10 Player of the Year, and 2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. The Cardinal won the Pac-10 regular season title during all four of her years on The Farm and had four NCAA tournament appearances. The Cardinal reached the national title game in her freshman and sophomore years. Following her Stanford career, she had a successful professional career in both indoor and beach volleyball, picking up an Olympic gold in beach volleyball at the 2020 games in Tokyo.
Elle Logan picked up All-American honors all four years at Stanford and guided Stanford to their only NCAA championship in varsity eight rowing in 2009 following a Pac-10 title. She was named Pac-10 Athlete of the Year in 2011 and also won three Olympic gold medals in 2008 (Beijing), 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio de Janeiro).
Julia Smit was a six-time NCAA champion at Stanford, where she competed from 2007-10. Stanford reached the NCAAs all four of her years on The Farm. In 2010, Stanford finished 2nd in the NCAAs while also picking up a Pac-10 title. Smit was named National Swimmer of the Year in 2010 as well. During her time at Stanford, Smit picked up two relay Olympic medals at the 2008 games in Beijing, one silver and one bronze.
While all eight of these athletes are more than deserving of this honor, Toby Gerhart is definitely the biggest name and probably the one who had the biggest impact during their time on The Farm. During Gerhart’s time at Stanford, the football team went from being the worst team in the Pac-10 with a 1-11 overall record and a 1-8 Pac-10 record in his freshman year to finishing tied for second in the Pac-10 in his senior year with an 8-5 overall record and a 6-3 Pac-10 record. In his senior year, Stanford reached their first bowl game since 2001 and became relevant nationally again thanks to his individual awards and finishing runner up for the Heisman Trophy.
Gerhart helped pave the way for the success that Stanford would have in the 2010s and also set a standard for running backs Stepfan Taylor, Tyler Gaffney, Christian McCaffrey, and Bryce Love to strive for. When one looks back on all the success that Stanford football has recently had, you can trace a lot of it back to Gerhart and the way he helped raise Stanford football out of obscurity and into national prominence.