Christian McCaffrey Stanford History Maker and Future Hall of Famer

Christian McCaffrey didn’t just pass through Stanford. He left tire marks.

From Denver to Palo Alto-, McCaffrey brought the kind of football that makes you stop mid-sentence. At Valor Christian in Colorado, he looked like a do-everything star. At Stanford, he proved it against everyone.McCaffrey arrived at Stanford with a famous last name, but he built his own story fast. His father, Ed McCaffrey, had a long NFL career, but Christian’s college run became its own thing entirely.By 2015, he wasn’t just one of the best players in the Pac-12. He was one of the best players in America.

3,864 all-purpose yards in 2015. That’s still one of the wildest single-season numbers college football has ever seen.

2015 was pure history.That 2015 season was the one. McCaffrey set the NCAA single-season all-purpose yardage record with 3,864 yards, doing damage as a runner, receiver, and returner.He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, earned consensus All-America honors, and was named AP College Football Player of the Year.And he wasn’t a one-year flash. In 2016, McCaffrey followed it with another All-America-level season, giving Stanford fans two straight years of must-watch football.McCaffrey being named to The Sporting News All-Decade Team for the 2010s feels right. He earned that spot alongside Stanford teammate Joshua Garnett, another reminder of how loaded those Cardinal teams were.Few players in that decade changed a game in more ways. McCaffrey could flip field position, carry an offense, break a big return, or turn a short pass into a track meet.After Stanford, McCaffrey kept proving the point in the NFL with the Panthers and 49ers, becoming one of football’s most dangerous all-around weapons.