Tiger Woods Will Serve as Honorary Captain at Fiesta Bowl

by Scott Allen on Dec 15, 2025 12:18 PM PST

Tiger Woods announced on his blog this morning that he will be an honorary captain for Stanford at the Fiesta Bowl.

"Cardinal head coach David Shaw asked me to be an honorary team captain, and I happily accepted. For Coach Shaw to think highly enough of me to be involved in the game and be able to talk to his kids is very special."

Woods, who had a class with Shaw when they attended Stanford together, has served as an honorary captain for the Cardinal before. He performed the ceremonial coin toss and was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame at the 2009 Big Game, where he stood on the field at halftime with his 2-year old daughter and wife, Elin Nordegren. One week later, the man who then-Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh called "the greatest competitor of our generation," was involved in a bizarre car accident outside his Florida-area home. You know the rest. The Cardinal football team's dramatic rise coincided with Woods's dramatic fall.

Woods has watched the Cardinal up close and personal at least once this season. He was on the sidelines with John Elway, Stanford's honorary captain at the Orange Bowl, for the Cardinal's 48-7 blowout of Colorado.

(H/T Stanford Football Blog)

Poll

What do you think of Tiger Woods as honorary captain?

Like it

33 votes

Indifferent -- I only care about the game

36 votes

Don't like it

64 votes

133 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

For the record

I voted “Don’t like it”, but I’m not vehemently opposed to the gesture. It’ll be cool for the players and it’s great that Shaw and Woods seem to have remained friends.

Doug Baldwin and Richard Sherman will be at University of Phoenix Stadium the day before the Fiesta Bowl for the Seahawks’ regular season finale. I would’ve been cool with Shaw asking them. Hopefully they’re staying for the game…

by Scott Allen on Dec 15, 2025 12:31 PM PST reply actions

I'm in the same camp

I harbor no ill will towards Tiger and certainly am not embarrassed to have him associated with the university. All people all flawed. But I don’t think public perception is there such that this helps the school in any way. And I don’t know how the players will take it. But it smacks of TW PR efforts to renew public trust.

by farmerboy99 on Dec 16, 2025 9:01 AM PST up reply actions

I think Coach Shaw may be tempting fate a bit with this move …

Being an Old Blue means embracing the "meh".

by SoCal Oski on Dec 15, 2025 1:02 PM PST reply actions

Has Tedford asked Woods about the Holiday Bowl?

by Scott Allen on Dec 15, 2025 1:04 PM PST up reply actions

No, he was too busy speaking with Elin about Eldrick’s character …

Being an Old Blue means embracing the "meh".

by SoCal Oski on Dec 15, 2025 1:05 PM PST up reply actions

Spoken like an expert

Which twist of fate has kept y’all out since ’59?

by dth1 on Dec 15, 2025 1:57 PM PST up reply actions

What fate would that be?

Tiger’s been in attendance at a lot of classic Stanford sports wins. All you know about is the 2009 upset. But Stanford fans most remember him for his enthusiastic support of Stanford basketball, including the Arizona game in 2004 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP-NlPIVBsw). He was also at at least one of our wins against Duke in the early 2000s. On the whole, I’d say Tiger’s participation has been good for Stanford sports.

by farmerboy99 on Dec 16, 2025 9:04 AM PST up reply actions

He's been an ardent Stanford Athletics support for almost two decades

The thing is that his reputation, especially after his sordid private life came to light, precedes him. There’s a reason that his “former student” status (not an alumnus, remember) has been greatly diminished in media guides for the university and athletic department since Big Game ’09.

I don’t think anyone minds that he supports Stanford teams or that he attends events. It’s the prominent role that he’s given that makes some fans and alumni raise their eyebrows.

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by RedOscar on Dec 16, 2025 11:36 AM PST up reply actions