Husky Legend: Isaiah Stanback
November 16, 2017 | Football
By Kimberlie Haner
Former Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback (2002-06) faced many trials throughout his football career, both at Washington and in the NFL. However, staying true to himself and working hard served him well, putting him in the record books at Washington and earning a Super Bowl ring in New York. His legacy makes him a Husky Legend today.
Growing up in the central district of Seattle, Stanback had ambition. His two older siblings had both found success, his brother in track and his sister in fashion design. For the youngest Stanback sibling, he initially saw a future in baseball and had opportunities to play professionally out of high school. He had played baseball since he was six and had the potential to be drafted high by a Major League team as a centerfielder.
Despite the opportunity in front of him, Stanback had factors to consider before focusing solely on baseball. In order to commit to baseball, he could not go to school. However, getting a college degree was important to Stanback. It was not a choice between sports but a choice between graduating from college and settling for a high school diploma.
"Baseball was my first love," Stanback said. "But coming from where I was from, the hood in Seattle, there were a lot of examples of people who didn't have things to fall back on. I've always wanted to separate myself from the competition, and I knew it was important for me to get an education and be able to separate myself post-sports career. Back then, getting a college degree meant something. I needed that."
Stanback wanted to do something great, but he also understood the importance of having a plan. After the baseball option fell through, his next plan was college football. Though he only played three years of high school ball, teams took notice and he earned offers. His final three teams were Washington, USC and Arizona State.
"I ended up going on my trips, and I felt that UW was the best fit for me in terms of my morals, the team and the culture," Stanback said. "All of those things came into play. I didn't necessarily want to stay close to home at first, but it was the best decision for me."
In 2002, Stanback began his journey at Washington. He was a redshirt his freshman year, and he thought he could try to hold onto baseball by joining the team at UW. However, he realized that he had a lot to learn about football and decided to let baseball go.
"I needed that redshirt year," Stanback said. "I hadn't played a lot of football. I was way behind, especially in the quarterback position. I had a lot to learn. I had to decide to sit out of baseball and develop as a quarterback."
When it was his time to hit the field in 2003, he mostly saw time at wide receiver rather than quarterback. Heisman trophy candidate Cody Pickett was the quarterback at the time, giving Stanback a chance to observe and learn.
"I was still a quarterback as far as preparation, but being a wide receiver was how I could help the team," Stanback said. "It didn't make sense for me to just be sitting."
During Stanback's time as a Husky, there were three coaching changes. He was recruited by Rick Neuheisel and played under him as a redshirt. However, in his redshirt freshman and sophomore years, Keith Gilbertson was the head coach, causing some confusion for Stanback in regards of where he would play. There were questions about whether being a wide receiver or a quarterback would help the team more.
"There was a lot of adversity I had to face in terms of being a quarterback," Stanback said. "I was being called selfish for not just playing receiver. I feel like everything that could've been done to discourage me happened."
This was a tough time for Stanback. He fluctuated up and down and never saw consistent playing time in both the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The stress from his situation caused him to consider quitting, but he realized he could never do that.
"I'd always been taught quitting is not an option, but I had never wanted to quit something so bad before," Stanback said. "It was a true defining moment for me because quitting was not in my character. It's not an option. My mom, who was a single parent, knew there was a mess going on and helped talk some sense into me."
After sticking it out, Tyrone Willingham was hired in 2005 and Stanback had a fresh start. The quarterback job quickly became his.
"It was a weight off of my shoulders," Stanback said of the change of leadership. "When they came in, it was awesome because I had a whole new start. I didn't have any stress or prejudgments. These were new coaches and they needed to win, and I knew I was going to get a fair chance because of that."
Stanback started all 11 games in 2005. Under a new system, the team had to learn and come together. His senior season, 2006, started off with a bang. Washington went 4-1 leading up to the sixth game against USC. Unfortunately, the time ran out before the Dawgs had a chance to score again to take down the Trojans. That game was also the start of injury trouble for Stanback. He pulled his hip flexor and had a hernia.
"That whole next week going into Oregon State, I didn't practice," Stanback said. "I was getting carted back and forth on the golf cart between the stadium and UW medical. I got a lot of medicine and shots for the Oregon State game."
The game against the Beavers was within reach, but on a third-and-long play, Stanback hurt his foot. What he hoped was a bad ankle sprain ended up being a Lisfranc fracture and took him out for the season. The doctor told him it was going to be a 9-10 month recovery and that most guys with this injury do not return to playing.
"There weren't a lot of positive aspects," Stanback said. "When you're in October of your senior season and you're up for Pac-10 Player of the Year and things are going well for your team, the last thing you want to hear is that you won't be on the field until July. Everything I had worked on individually as a person got taken away from me."
Ending his college career due to injury was difficult, but Stanback also had the NFL draft to keep in mind.
Despite putting his best foot forward at the NFL combine, doing what his injury allowed him to do, teams were still hesitant about Stanback. He was a question mark for both his injury and his position. Some teams wanted him as a quarterback, some as a wide receiver.
But, ultimately, everything paid off. In the 2007 NFL Draft, he was chosen at the top of the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys. The experience of being drafted by the Cowboys was particularly special for Stanback.
"A couple weeks before, my grandfather passed away," Stanback said. "The Cowboys were his favorite team. I had watched him pass away in the same room where I found out I got drafted to his team."
Stanback's NFL career took him to many different places. He started as a receiver in Dallas. After two years of battling injuries, he was released and then picked up by the New England Patriots as a quarterback. He bounced around to Seattle, New York and Jacksonville as a pro, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2011. In the end, injuries got the best of him.
"My last season was 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars," Stanback said. "I shut it down after that. I actually found out I was having twins the same day I got released. I wasn't too torn up about it though because at a certain point, it stops becoming what you can do and starts becoming about who you know. I was tired of the politics that you come across in the NFL."
During his time in the NFL, Stanback worked towards and got an MBA from George Washington University. His time working on his master's degree inspired him. After graduation in 2012, he started Steadfast Fitness and Performance in Dallas. The business was already set up by the time he was released by the Jaguars, so the following Monday, he went to work.
"I wanted to create a culture that shows you can get better," Stanback said. "It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're an athlete or not. I wanted to make fitness a safe haven and far away from the politics of sports."
Stanback currently resides in Dallas with his family. He and his wife have a 5-year old daughter and 3-year old twins, a boy and girl. His past with football has taught him many lessons, but one that he hopes to impart on those playing the game and his own kids is to be confident in who you are.
"There are going to be a lot of things that try to take you away from who you are," Stanback said. "but as long as you stay true to your morals and beliefs, you will be good."
Former Husky quarterback Isaiah Stanback (2002-06) faced many trials throughout his football career, both at Washington and in the NFL. However, staying true to himself and working hard served him well, putting him in the record books at Washington and earning a Super Bowl ring in New York. His legacy makes him a Husky Legend today.
Growing up in the central district of Seattle, Stanback had ambition. His two older siblings had both found success, his brother in track and his sister in fashion design. For the youngest Stanback sibling, he initially saw a future in baseball and had opportunities to play professionally out of high school. He had played baseball since he was six and had the potential to be drafted high by a Major League team as a centerfielder.
Despite the opportunity in front of him, Stanback had factors to consider before focusing solely on baseball. In order to commit to baseball, he could not go to school. However, getting a college degree was important to Stanback. It was not a choice between sports but a choice between graduating from college and settling for a high school diploma.
"Baseball was my first love," Stanback said. "But coming from where I was from, the hood in Seattle, there were a lot of examples of people who didn't have things to fall back on. I've always wanted to separate myself from the competition, and I knew it was important for me to get an education and be able to separate myself post-sports career. Back then, getting a college degree meant something. I needed that."
Stanback wanted to do something great, but he also understood the importance of having a plan. After the baseball option fell through, his next plan was college football. Though he only played three years of high school ball, teams took notice and he earned offers. His final three teams were Washington, USC and Arizona State.
"I ended up going on my trips, and I felt that UW was the best fit for me in terms of my morals, the team and the culture," Stanback said. "All of those things came into play. I didn't necessarily want to stay close to home at first, but it was the best decision for me."
In 2002, Stanback began his journey at Washington. He was a redshirt his freshman year, and he thought he could try to hold onto baseball by joining the team at UW. However, he realized that he had a lot to learn about football and decided to let baseball go.
"I needed that redshirt year," Stanback said. "I hadn't played a lot of football. I was way behind, especially in the quarterback position. I had a lot to learn. I had to decide to sit out of baseball and develop as a quarterback."
When it was his time to hit the field in 2003, he mostly saw time at wide receiver rather than quarterback. Heisman trophy candidate Cody Pickett was the quarterback at the time, giving Stanback a chance to observe and learn.
"I was still a quarterback as far as preparation, but being a wide receiver was how I could help the team," Stanback said. "It didn't make sense for me to just be sitting."
During Stanback's time as a Husky, there were three coaching changes. He was recruited by Rick Neuheisel and played under him as a redshirt. However, in his redshirt freshman and sophomore years, Keith Gilbertson was the head coach, causing some confusion for Stanback in regards of where he would play. There were questions about whether being a wide receiver or a quarterback would help the team more.
"There was a lot of adversity I had to face in terms of being a quarterback," Stanback said. "I was being called selfish for not just playing receiver. I feel like everything that could've been done to discourage me happened."
This was a tough time for Stanback. He fluctuated up and down and never saw consistent playing time in both the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The stress from his situation caused him to consider quitting, but he realized he could never do that.
"I'd always been taught quitting is not an option, but I had never wanted to quit something so bad before," Stanback said. "It was a true defining moment for me because quitting was not in my character. It's not an option. My mom, who was a single parent, knew there was a mess going on and helped talk some sense into me."
After sticking it out, Tyrone Willingham was hired in 2005 and Stanback had a fresh start. The quarterback job quickly became his.
"It was a weight off of my shoulders," Stanback said of the change of leadership. "When they came in, it was awesome because I had a whole new start. I didn't have any stress or prejudgments. These were new coaches and they needed to win, and I knew I was going to get a fair chance because of that."
Stanback started all 11 games in 2005. Under a new system, the team had to learn and come together. His senior season, 2006, started off with a bang. Washington went 4-1 leading up to the sixth game against USC. Unfortunately, the time ran out before the Dawgs had a chance to score again to take down the Trojans. That game was also the start of injury trouble for Stanback. He pulled his hip flexor and had a hernia.
"That whole next week going into Oregon State, I didn't practice," Stanback said. "I was getting carted back and forth on the golf cart between the stadium and UW medical. I got a lot of medicine and shots for the Oregon State game."
The game against the Beavers was within reach, but on a third-and-long play, Stanback hurt his foot. What he hoped was a bad ankle sprain ended up being a Lisfranc fracture and took him out for the season. The doctor told him it was going to be a 9-10 month recovery and that most guys with this injury do not return to playing.
"There weren't a lot of positive aspects," Stanback said. "When you're in October of your senior season and you're up for Pac-10 Player of the Year and things are going well for your team, the last thing you want to hear is that you won't be on the field until July. Everything I had worked on individually as a person got taken away from me."
Ending his college career due to injury was difficult, but Stanback also had the NFL draft to keep in mind.
Despite putting his best foot forward at the NFL combine, doing what his injury allowed him to do, teams were still hesitant about Stanback. He was a question mark for both his injury and his position. Some teams wanted him as a quarterback, some as a wide receiver.
But, ultimately, everything paid off. In the 2007 NFL Draft, he was chosen at the top of the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys. The experience of being drafted by the Cowboys was particularly special for Stanback.
"A couple weeks before, my grandfather passed away," Stanback said. "The Cowboys were his favorite team. I had watched him pass away in the same room where I found out I got drafted to his team."
Stanback's NFL career took him to many different places. He started as a receiver in Dallas. After two years of battling injuries, he was released and then picked up by the New England Patriots as a quarterback. He bounced around to Seattle, New York and Jacksonville as a pro, winning a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2011. In the end, injuries got the best of him.
"My last season was 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars," Stanback said. "I shut it down after that. I actually found out I was having twins the same day I got released. I wasn't too torn up about it though because at a certain point, it stops becoming what you can do and starts becoming about who you know. I was tired of the politics that you come across in the NFL."
During his time in the NFL, Stanback worked towards and got an MBA from George Washington University. His time working on his master's degree inspired him. After graduation in 2012, he started Steadfast Fitness and Performance in Dallas. The business was already set up by the time he was released by the Jaguars, so the following Monday, he went to work.
"I wanted to create a culture that shows you can get better," Stanback said. "It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're an athlete or not. I wanted to make fitness a safe haven and far away from the politics of sports."
Stanback currently resides in Dallas with his family. He and his wife have a 5-year old daughter and 3-year old twins, a boy and girl. His past with football has taught him many lessons, but one that he hopes to impart on those playing the game and his own kids is to be confident in who you are.
"There are going to be a lot of things that try to take you away from who you are," Stanback said. "but as long as you stay true to your morals and beliefs, you will be good."
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