 In 1989, former Northwestern head coach Dennis Green left the 49ers, where he was serving as wide receivers coach, and took the head coaching position at Stanford, inheriting a team that had graduated 17 of its 21 starters from 1988.Green led the Cardinal from 1989 to 1991.During that time, his teams finished with an overall record of 16–18, going 3–0 in the Big Game against the California Golden Bears.