Isaiah Ramon Stanback (born August 16, 1984) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
,
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
,
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, and
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
.
Early years
Stanback attended
Garfield High School in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, where he played football,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, and
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
.
Junior (2000)
As a junior, he tallied 1,653 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. He was selected as one of just three "blue chip" players by the ''
Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
''.
Senior (2001)
Stanback passed for 1,628 yards (second among Washington state Class 4A quarterbacks) and 12 touchdowns, and added 700 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 2001 for 2-7
Garfield High School. His passing total ranked second among Washington state Class 4A quarterbacks. He had his best game of 2001 against
Inglemoor High School
Inglemoor High School is a public high school located in Kenmore, Washington, United States. It is one of the largest high schools in the state of Washington and has an average of 30 students per teacher. As of 2017, the student population was ap ...
, totaling 399 yards passing and three touchdowns. He was an all-KingCo Conference pick again, in 2001. He was the first "blue chip" quarterback since 1998.
He was one of eight ''
Tacoma News-Tribune
''The News Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Tacoma, Washington. It is the second-largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington with a weekday circulation of 30,945 in 2020. With origins dating back to 1883, the newspaper w ...
'' "Northwest Nuggets". He was a member of the ''Tacoma News-Tribune's'' "Western 100". He was an all-KingCo Conference pick. Stanback earned
PrepStar
''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazin ...
and SuperPrep
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n honors. He was a member of ''PrepStars Top 125 Dream Team. He was also, the fifth-rated quarterback in the nation according to SuperPrep. Stanback was the ranked the #23 player nationally in ''SuperPrep's'' "Elite 50". He was the #1 player in ''SuperPrep's'' Washington 22. He rated 14th among all quarterbacks nationally, fourth in the West Region, by ''PrepStar''. Stanback was also listed by ''PrepStar'' as one of the top-three run-pass combination quarterbacks in the nation. He was one of the nation's Top 101 recruits according to ''Student Sports Magazine''. He was also, considered the third-best "athlete" on the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
by ''PacWest Football''. He was rated #23 nationally among prep quarterbacks by Tom Lemming's ''Prep Football Report''. He also played on the baseball team.
College career
Following high school, Stanback attended the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
.
Redshirt freshman (2002)
In 2002, Stanback was
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
ed for the season. During the 2003 spring game he went 4-of-9 for 82 yards and a
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
.
Freshman (2003)
In 2003, Stanback played in 11 games, mostly as a wide receiver. He also returned kicks and practiced with the quarterbacks. He was 2-for-2 passing during the season. Stanback's quarterback duties were limited to late-game situations versus
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
and
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
. On the season Stanback caught ten passes for 143 yards, leading the team with a 14.3 average per reception. He had four catches for 82 yards vs.
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, including a career-long 41-yarder. He also rushed for a total of 25 yards from the quarterback position. He also returned eight kickoffs, averaging 16.6 yards per return. He returned seven kickoffs against
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, tying the school single-game record for returns in a game.
Sophomore (2004)
In 2004, Stanback played in five games at quarterback. He played against
Fresno State
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
,
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
,
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, Arizona and
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
. He was second among quarterbacks with 389 passing yards. He was 11-of-29 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in just three quarters of action against Oregon State, also leading the team with 51 yards rushing. He averaged 19.9 yards per completion against Oregon State ranks fifth in school history.
He scored his first career rushing touchdown in the season opener against Fresno State. He also started his first game at USC. Stanback finished the year on a high note, coming off the bench to complete five of eight passes for 100 yards against Washington State. He had a 42-yard pass vs. Washington State and connected with Craig Chambers for a 39-yard scoring play. He also ran for one touchdown in
Apple Cup
The Apple Cup is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars, the two largest universities in the state of Washington. Both are members of the North Division of the ...
appearance. Stanback ran track during the winter 2004, qualifying for the indoor conference championships in the 60-meter dash.
Junior (2005)
In 2005, Stanback started all 11 games at quarterback. On the season his recorded 2,136 yards were the 15th most in school history. He averaged 194.2 passing yards per game, 11th-most ever in school history. He also ran for 353 yards on 100 carries, with five touchdowns. He entered the schools all-time top-ten in total offense (2,489 yards, tenth), and total offense per game (226.3, eighth). Stanback was named the Sports Radio 950
KJR Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the team's postseason banquet.
Stanback led the Huskies to win at Arizona, completing 10-of-19 for 157 yards and one touchdown, along with a career-high 96 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He completed a career-long 69-yard touchdown pass to Craig Chambers on a
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
as the first half expired in Arizona, sparking the Washington win. He also, had a good day vs. #1 USC, completing 14-of-18 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown, while also scoring on a run. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 242 yards against
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
, with no interceptions and one touchdown. He surpassed the 300-yard passing mark twice, vs. Cal (301) and
Notre Dame (with a career-high 353). His passing total at Notre Dame was the 14th-most ever at Washington. He also set a career-high for attempts (40) vs. Notre Dame.
Stanback then ran
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
for Washington in the spring. He placed fifth in the finals of the 100-meter dash at the Pac-10 Championships. He was sixth at the West Regional meet at
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
, missing an NCAA Championships berth by just .02 seconds. He ranks among Washington's all-time top-ten in the 100-meter dash (10.48, eighth) and 4x100-meter relay (40.07, seventh) outdoors, and the 60-meter dash (6.80, eighth) indoors. His 100-meter best ranks third all-time among Washington football players who have competed in track (
Ja'Warren Hooker
Ja'Warren Hooker (born September 24, 1978) is a track and field sprinter and former University of Washington football player.
Hooker, one of seven children, was born in Chigago, and played halfback for Ellensburg High School. His high school f ...
, 10.18;
Sterling Hinds
Sterling Hinds (born 31 October 1961) is a Canadian retired sprinter and football player. He won the bronze medal in 4 x 100 m relay at the 1984 Olympic Games, and played professional football with the Toronto Argonauts.
Hinds was born in Toron ...
, 10.27).
Senior (2006)
In 2006, Stanback opened the season with solid game vs.
San Jose State
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...
, passing 16-for-25 for 168 yards, one touchdown, one interception, while rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He set new career highs for carries and rushing yards vs. San Jose. In the game at
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
Stanback was 9-of-22, 139 yards passing. He led Huskies to a win over Fresno State going 15-of-26, 151 yards, zero interceptions, two touchdowns passing and 12 carries, 91 yards, one touchdown rushing. He accounted for 248 of Washington's 249 yards of total offense vs.
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
going 18-for-29 for 200 yards, one interception, three touchdowns passing along with 13 carries for 48 rushing. Stanback went 14-of-25 for 293 and two touchdowns in win at Arizona. He went 17-of-38, zero interceptions, two touchdowns, and 212 yards at USC. Stanback injured foot in a loss to Oregon State (12-of-24, 162 yards; 11 carries, 11 yards, two touchdowns rushing). He had season-ending foot surgery October 17 on his badly sprained right foot.
He ended up ranked in numerous school career and single-season statistical categories: second in career passing yards per completion with 14.38; third in career rushing yards by a quarterback with 794; fourth in career yards of total offense per game with 6.16; sixth in career passing yards per attempt with 7.40; sixth in career rushing attempts by a quarterback with 234; tenth in career total offense with 4,662 yards; eleventh in career passing with 3,868 yards; eleventh in career attempts with 523; 12th in career completions with 269; 14th in career touchdown passes with 22.
Career statistics
Baseball
In 2006, Stanback was drafted by the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
in the
2006 MLB June Draft despite not playing baseball in college. He turned down the offer so he could play football.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
file:Isaiah Stanback.jpg, Stanback began his NFL career with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
.
Stanback was selected by the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
in the fourth round (103rd overall) in the
2007 NFL Draft. Despite playing mostly as a quarterback in college, he was drafted with the intention of being converted into a
wide receiver. He was active for two games in his rookie season, but did not record any receptions.
In 2008, he was active for eight games, catching two passes for 24 yards in the opener against the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. On December 26, he was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
with a shoulder injury. On September 5, 2009, he was waived by the Cowboys after not being able to remain healthy during his time with the team.
New England Patriots
On September 6, 2009, Stanback was signed to the
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
as a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
. On November 14, he was promoted to the active roster, when the Patriots placed rookie wide receiver
Brandon Tate
Brandon Tate (born October 5, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.
Early years and family
Tate a ...
on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. He caught his first pass as a Patriot from
Tom Brady
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
the next day, in the Patriots' Week 10 game against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
.
He was active for six of the Patriots' final eight games of the season, finishing with three receptions for 22 yards. He also returned one kickoff for 22 yards. He was waived on May 27, 2010.
Seattle Seahawks
On June 1, 2010, Stanback was claimed off waivers by the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. On August 7, he tore his left
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...
during practice. On August 8, he was waived injured and placed on injured reserve. On September 3, 2011, he was placed on injured reserve again, and released with an injury settlement on October 8.
New York Giants
On November 30, 2011, he was signed to the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
' practice squad. He would remain there as the team went on to win
Super Bowl XLVI
Super Bowl XLVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
.
He was waived on August 31, 2012.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On December 5, 2012, he was signed to the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 18 and converted to
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
. He was released on August 27, 2013.
Career statistics
Personal life
Stanback was a part of the WWE Performance Center at
Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university in Winter Park, Florida. It was formerly a recording studio in Ohio named Full Sail Productions and Full Sail Center ...
in Florida, training to become a wrestler. He made an appearance on Netflix's Ultimate Beastmaster as a contestant for Team America, failing the second obstacle in the first round, which resulted in him placing last.
Stanback and his wife Natalie’s oldest daughter, Nadia, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in April 2015 at the age of three. Over the ensuing years, the Stanbacks have been active in T1D education.
References
External links
Washington Huskies bioNew England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanback, Isaiah
1984 births
Living people
Players of American football from Seattle
American football quarterbacks
American football wide receivers
American football tight ends
Washington Huskies football players
Dallas Cowboys players
New England Patriots players
Seattle Seahawks players
New York Giants players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Garfield High School (Seattle) alumni