Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University is a private research university located in sunny Palo Alto, California, less than an Hour away from San Francisco. To avoid confusion over whether the "Junior" in the name modifies the preceding proper noun or the succeeding common noun, thus rendering it a glorified community college, the institution is generally known simply as Stanford University.
Leland Stanford Junior, the institution's namesake, died of typhoid at age 15. Yes, the university is named after a high school sophomore. Contrary to popular internet rumors, the Stanford parents did not endow Stanford after they were rudely treated by the president of Harvard who mistook them for riff raff.[1]
Whatever your grandparents might think, Stanford is not an Ivy League school.
Back in 1934, Columbia routed Stanford in the 1934 Rose Bowl, where the Lions defeated the Indians 7-0 in Pasadena. Nowadays Stanford's mascot/team name is Cardinal. As in the color. Hence, even when they team is referred to in a plural context, they are known as the Stanford Cardinal, a la the Harvard Crimson.
"Stanford" is an anagram of "snodfart".
Marching Band
Like the Columbia University Marching Band, the Stanford University Marching Band prides itself in irreverence and cleverness. This is only the claim, however. While admittedly the Stanford Band members are quite irreverent, they are not very clever.
