The decision to eliminate 11 of 36 varsity sports at Stanford is a fundamental shift for the University and deserves more attention from all alumni.
We are 36 Sports Strong, a group of alumni representing all 36 of Stanford’s varsity teams. Our members have won collegiate, national, world and Olympic championships. We have played professionally in the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWLS and LPGA. Many of us are Stanford Hall-of-Famers. We’ve been proud to represent Stanford throughout our careers.
We were stunned by this decision because we love Stanford and this changes how we view Stanford. We are asking the university to reconsider.
The impact of the cuts is being felt not only by the 4,000 alumni of the 11 teams but also by more than 40,000 alumni of the greater Stanford athletic community.
The decision upends the Stanford experience for 240 current student-athletes and their coaches, who were told they were losing their teams 30 minutes before it was publicly announced. Like us, these athletes chose Stanford for the unique opportunity it offered to be a true scholar-athlete—competing at the highest level while pursuing a world-class education.
We all recognize the importance of athletics to our Stanford education and disagree with this decision based on how it was made and communicated.
This precipitous action was not based on values Stanford Athletics has demonstrated over decades, including our commitment to Title IX and our 25 consecutive Director’s Cup wins—an honor that recognizes the breadth of our athletics programs.
If it stands, Stanford will have cut nearly a third of its teams—programs that have produced 48 Olympians, 27 Olympic medals and 20 national championships.
We wish the university had reached out to us in advance of the announcement to discuss its financial challenges and to explore possible solutions. We could have helped. We still can.
We join together, 36 Sports Strong, to engage with Stanford’s leaders in an effort to remedy this situation.
Sincerely,
36 Sports Strong
Women's Basketball
Jennifer Azzi
Olympic and World Champion
Men's Basketball
Adam Keefe
NBA Veteran, 2-Sport Stanford athlete
Football
Andrew Luck
4-time NFL Pro Bowler
Women's Soccer
Julie Foudy
Olympic and World Cup Champion
Kelley O'Hara
Olympic and World Cup Champion
Dena Evans
2-Sport Athlete, former Stanford track and field coach
Baseball
Mike Mussina,
MLB Hall of Famer
Women's Beach Volleyball
Kerri Walsh Jennings
Olympic and World Champion
Women's Golf
Michelle Wie
LPGA Tour Champion
Women's Swimming and Diving
Janet Evans
Olympic and World Champion
Summer Sanders
Olympic and World Champion
Kassidy Cook
Olympian
Men's Basketball
Jarron Collins
NBA Veteran, coach
Josh Childress
NBA Veteran
Women's Volleyball
Foluke Akinradewo
Olympian, World Champion
Kristin Klein Keefe
Olympian, World Champion
Men's Tennis
Mike Bryan
Olympic and Grand Slam Champion
Bob Bryan
Olympic and Grand Slam Champion
Alex O'Brien
Olympian, Grand Slam Champion
Women's Tennis
Kathy Jordan
Grand Slam Champion
Softball
Jessica Mendoza
Olympian
Men's Fencing
Alex Massialas
Olympian, National Champion
Women's Water Polo
Maggie Steffens
Olympic and World Champion
Men's Water Polo
Tony Azevedo
Olympian
Peter Hudnut
Olympian
Peter Varellas
Olympian
Wolf Wigo
World Champion, Olympian
Men's Swimming and Diving
Anthony Mosse
Olympian
Mike Bruner
Olympic and World Champion
Tom Wong
2-Sport Stanford Athlete
Field Hockey
Nancy Lippe
Olympian
Kathy Levinson
3-Sport Stanford Athlete
Men's Soccer
Jordan Morris
U.S. National Team Member
Men's Volleyball
Scott Fortune
Olympic Champion
Kevin Hansen
Olympic Champion
Gabe Gardner
Olympic Champion
Erik Shoji
Olympian
Kawiki Shoji
Olympian
Matt Fuerbringer
All-American
Women's Fencing
Iris Zimmerman
Olympian, World Champion
Vivian Kong
Olympian
Men's Rowing
Austin Hack
Olympian
Jacob Cornelius
Olympian
Nathalie Weiss
Synchronized Swimming
Heather Olson
Olympian
Morgan Fuller Kolsrud
National Champion and National Team Member
Men's Gymnastics
Sho Nakamori
National champion
Women's Sailing
Helena Scutt
Olympian
Men's Track and Field
Steve Solomon
Olympian
Women's Gymnastics
Kerri Strug
Olympic Champion
Nicole Luck
World Champion
Co-ed Sailing
Luke Muller
Olympic qualifier
Men's Wrestling
Robert Hatta
Patricia Miranda
Olympian
Shawn Harmon
Women's Lacrosse
Lucy Dikeou
U.S. National Team Member
Men's Cross Country
Cameron Miller
Women's Cross Country
Elise Cranny
All-American
Women's Track and Field
Rebecca Mehra
All-American, Olympic hopeful
Men's Golf
David Boote
Women's Lightweight Rowing
Christine Cavallo
National Champion, Olympic hopeful
Women's Rowing
Chierika Ukogu
Olympian
Women's Squash
Casey Wong
All-American
Madeleine Gill