Object Name:
Figurine
Object ID:
13.3887
Case:
Go Cardinal! As we welcome students this week, we share a (literal) piece of Stanford University Athletics history. This fragment of molded porcelain is from the head of a Stanford Football bobble head collectible figurine (13.3887). Appropriately, it was collected from the site of the Stanford University Men's Gymnasium swimming tank, which became a convenient rubble dump after the 1906 earthquake destroyed much of campus and the Gym itself. This fragment was a surface find and dates around 100 years later, however. The material design–a red "S" hand painted on a white football helmet–identifies the piece as a giveaway from the late 1990s/early 2000s. Legendary Stanford footballers Jim Plunkett (#16) and a John Elway (#7) were both honored in this way. Bobble head boosterism has been part of American sports since the early 20th century.
Dimensions:
L–4.2 cm
Material(s):
ceramic
Date:
circa 1990
Provenance:
Objects from Stanford University Men's Gymnasium swimming tank that was filled with 1906 earthquake rubble and debris.
Collection:
Men's 1906 Gymnasium Dig
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