1969 Kansas Jayhawks football team

The 1969 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. In their third season under head coach Pepper Rodgers, the Jayhawks compiled a 1–9 record (0–7 against conference opponents), finished in last place in the Big Eight Conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 290 to 176.^[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

1969 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	1–9 (0–7 Big 8)
Head coach	Pepper Rodgers (3rd season)
Captain	Emery Hicks
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1968 1970 →

1969 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 6 Missouri +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Nebraska +	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Colorado	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Oklahoma	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Kansas State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Iowa State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Kansas	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Kansas tied Oklahoma for the 1968 Big Eight championship, the Jayhawks' most recent conference title as of 2022. The Jayhawks, who lost 15-14 to undefeated Penn State in the 1969 Orange Bowl, were hit hard by graduation going into 1969, including quarterback Bobby Douglass and defensive end John Zook, who were NFL starters (with the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, respectively) as rookies.

Archrival Missouri wrapped up the Big Eight championship with a 69-21 rout at Lawrence in the last game played on natural grass at Memorial Stadium. As of 2022, that is the Tigers' most recent conference title.

The team's statistical leaders included Phil Basler with 746 passing yards, John Riggins with 662 rushing yards and John Mosier with 339 receiving yards.^[3] Emery Hicks was the team captain.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 20	at Texas Tech*	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX	L 22–38	43,201–42,250
September 27	Syracuse*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 13–0	42,230–44,500
October 4	at New Mexico*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	L 7–16	13,338
October 11	Kansas State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 22–26	48,285
October 18	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	L 17–21	63,223–66,667
October 25	at Iowa State	Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 20–44	25,806–26,398
November 1	Oklahoma State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 25–28	33,927
November 8	Colorado	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 14–17	37,893
November 15	at Oklahoma	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 15–31	59,128	^[4]^[5]
November 22	No. 7 Missouri	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (Border War)	L 21–69	48,474
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1969 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 70 Larry Brown Jr WR -- Ron Jessie Jr OT -- Steve Lawson Jr RB 32 John Riggins Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 71 Jim Bailey Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 100 Bill Bell Sr	Head coach Pepper Rodgers Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "1969 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 185.
3. "1969 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
4. Soldan, Ray (November 16, 1969). "OU Zaps Jayhawks As Owens Goes 201". The Sunday Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. p. 1, sports section. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
5. Soldan, Ray (November 16, 1969). "OU Wins on Second Half Surge (continued)". The Sunday Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. p. 2, sports section. Retrieved October 2, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .