By the time Andrew Luck ’12 was selected with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Stanford quarterback had left behind a legacy not only on The Farm, but on the college football world at large. Now three years after stepping away from football with a long list of achievements already under his belt, a second wave of accolades are beginning to roll in.
When Stanford football (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) faces off against No. 10 USC (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) on Saturday, Luck will be honored during the game with an On-Campus Salute, an event hosted in tandem by Stanford University and The National Football Foundation (NFF) to commemorate his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He will be officially inducted in December, joining 20 other inductees that make up the Class of 2022.
“One of the most precise passers in college football history, Andrew Luck set the standard during his record-setting career at Stanford,” said Steve Hatchell, NFF’s President & CEO. “We are thrilled to honor him at Stanford Stadium for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction.”
The 32-year-old is the 19th Stanford player to be honored, joining the likes of John Elway ‘83 and Jim Plunkett ‘71. Before becoming a highly-touted NFL quarterback with four Pro Bowl selections, Luck turned things around for a Stanford program that turned in seven straight losing seasons prior to his assumption of the starting role. The heights of success are far too great to list inclusively, but his two Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year awards, back-to-back runner-up Heisman finishes and Stanford-record 82 touchdown passes are indicative of the individual success he accomplished.
However, the quarterback’s leadership that he displayed all four years is telling of the team-first mentality that served him well and set the foundation for a long period of Stanford football success. Luck concluded his college career with the most wins and the highest winning percentage, at 83.7%, among all Stanford quarterbacks in school history.
Deservingly, the Hall of Fame induction is likely the first of many honors to come for Luck. The Stanford legend also made recent news when his former head coach, David Shaw, revealed that he would be returning to campus this fall as a graduate student.
While Andrew Luck has made it clear he’s moved on from football, the football world is not quite ready to move on from him. Saturday’s ceremony is a reminder of why that is.