1961 Kansas Jayhawks football team
| 1961 Kansas Jayhawks football | |
|---|---|
Bluebonnet Bowl champion | |
Bluebonnet Bowl, W 33–7 vs. Rice | |
| Conference | Big Eight Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 15 |
| Record | 7–3–1 (5–2 Big 8) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Colorado $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Missouri | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Jack Mitchell, the Jayhawks outscored their opponents 269 to 88. They finished the regular season at 6–3–1 (5–2 in Big 8, second),[1] and won the Bluebonnet Bowl 33–7 over host Rice.[2]
Senior quarterback John Hadl received 33 first place votes in the Heisman Trophy balloting; he was the first Jayhawk to receive Heisman votes and was seventh in the balloting. He was the tenth overall pick in the NFL Draft, selected by the Detroit Lions, but chose to sign with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League.
Schedule[edit]
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23 | at TCU* | No. 8 | L 16–17 | 27,000 | ||
| September 30 | Wyoming* | T 6–6 | 33,000 | |||
| October 7 | at Colorado | L 19–20 | 42,700 | |||
| October 14 | Iowa State |
| W 21–7 | 32,176 | ||
| October 21 | at Oklahoma | W 10–0 | 54,794 | |||
| October 28 | Oklahoma State |
| W 42–8 | 25,000 | ||
| November 4 | at Nebraska | W 28–6 | 32,450 | |||
| November 11 | Kansas State |
| W 34–0 | 34,000 | ||
| November 18 | at California* | W 53–7 | 30,000 | |||
| November 25 | Missouri | No. 10 |
| L 7–10 | 40,500 | |
| December 17 | vs. Rice* | CBS | W 33–7 | 52,000 | ||
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1962 NFL Draft[edit]
| Player | Round | Pick | Position | Club |
| John Hadl | 1 | 10 | Quarterback | Detroit Lions |
| Bert Coan | 7 | 85 | Running back | Washington Redskins |
| Roger McFarland | 20 | 274 | Back | San Francisco 49ers |
Awards and honors[edit]
- John Hadl, All-American, finished 7th in Heisman Trophy voting
- Curtis McClinton, All-American
References[edit]
- ^ Morey, Earl (November 27, 1961). "MU defense great in big win over KU". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 8.
- ^ Mayer, Bill (December 18, 1961). "Dedicated, jubilant Hawks throw off bad effects and end season on strong note". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 16.
- ^ "Reference at www.pro-football-reference.com".