1957 Idaho Vandals football team


The 1957 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 1957 NCAA University Division football season. The Vandals were led by fourth-year head coach Skip Stahley and were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Home games were played on campus at Neale Stadium in Moscow, with one home game in Boise at old Bronco Stadium at Boise Junior College.
Led on the field by quarterbacks Howard Willis and Gary Kenworthy, a overall record and were in the PCC.
The Vandals suffered a third straight loss in the Battle of the Palouse with neighbor Washington State, falling at Rogers Field in Pullman on November 16. The loss prevented the first winning season for Idaho football since 1938. In the rivalry game with Montana, the Vandals ran their winning streak over the Grizzlies to six and retained the Little Brown Stein.

Notable players

This Vandal team had several players who went on to extended careers in professional football. of Sandpoint played eleven seasons at right guard with the Green Bay Packers and won five NFL titles under head coach Vince Lombardi. He was an All-Pro five times and was the lead blocker on the famous Packers sweep. Kramer made the NFL's all-decade team for the 1960s and was the last member of the NFL's 50th anniversary team to be inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame, at age 82 in 2018.
Wayne Walker of Boise played fifteen seasons with the Detroit Lions as an outside linebacker and was named All-Pro three times. Both were selected in the fourth round of the 1958 NFL Draft; Kramer was 39th overall and Walker 45th, and both were periodic placekickers as pros.
Sophomore Jim Norton of Fullerton, California, was a safety and punter for nine seasons with the Houston Oilers; he was the all-time interceptions leader in the American Football League and his #43 was the first retired by the franchise.
Jim Prestel of Indianapolis was a defensive tackle for eight seasons in the NFL, primarily with the expansion Minnesota Vikings. A junior in 1957, he missed most of the season due to his mother's terminal illness. Selected in the sixth round of the 1959 NFL Draft, 70th overall, he was granted another year of eligibility and played for Idaho in 1959 and began his pro career with the Cleveland Browns in 1960. Prestel was also a standout player on the Vandal basketball team. He played in his final game at Idaho in the Battle of the Palouse in late October with a broken foot, then was sidelined and missed the basketball season.

Schedule

Roster

All-Coast

Because of their limited conference schedule, no Vandals were on the All-PCC first team, but two were selected for the second team; guard Jerry Kramer and center Wayne Walker. Honorable mention were quarterback Howard Willis, end Larry Aldrich, and fullback

NFL Draft

Five Vandals were selected in the 1958 NFL Draft:
PlayerPositionRound Pick Franchise
Jerry KramerG4th39Green Bay Packers
Wayne WalkerC4th45Detroit Lions
Larry AldrichE11th127Pittsburgh Steelers
Wade Patterson ^E16th183Chicago Cardinals
Pete Johnson ^T18th216Cleveland Browns

One junior was selected in the 1959 NFL Draft:
PlayerPositionRound Pick Franchise
Jim Prestel ^T6th70 Cleveland Browns

Two sophomores were selected in the 1960 NFL Draft:
PlayerPositionRound Pick Franchise
Jim NortonWR7th75Detroit Lions
Stan FanningT11th128Chicago Bears