- Sport: Football
- Years Attended: 1967-1971
- Inducted in 1990
Dan Pastorini was a gifted quarterback and played for Santa Clara from 1968-1971. He was was a Second-Team AP Little All-American selection and ranked in the top-10 in nine of the schools all-time passing records. He was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 46th Annual Shine East-West Classic at the Oakland Coliseum in 1971. After his college career, Pastorini was drafted 3rd overall by the Houston Oilers in 1971. During his 8 years with the Oilers, he only missed 5 regular season games. He is known to have played through broken ribs and even a punctured lung. In 1975, Pastorini was also named to the AFC Pro Bowl Team. His 1978 was his best. He threw for a career-high 2,473 yards and 16 touchdowns. During the 1978 playoffs, Pastorini helped the Oilers to defeat the Miami Dolphins and the AFC East Division Champions, the New England Patriots. After his career with the Oilers, Pastorini was traded to the Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, and then the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 1983. During retirement Pastorini trained to become one of the premiere drivers on the NHRA Top Fuel Circuit. In 1986 he won his first national event at the NHRA Southern Nationals in and finished 7th in NHRA Championship Points. He was the third man to break the 270-mph barrier in a Top Fuel Dragster. Pastorini was inducted into Santa Clara’s Hall of Fame in 1990.
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