1947 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 1947 Kansas Jayhawks football team was an American football team that represented the University of Kansas in the Big Six Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its second and final season under head coach George Sauer, the team compiled an 8–1–2 record (4–0–1 against conference opponents), tied for the conference championship, was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 304 to 102. The team was undefeated in the regular season before losing to Georgia Tech in the 1948 Orange Bowl.[1][2]
| 1947 Kansas Jayhawks football | |
|---|---|
Big Six co-champion | |
Orange Bowl, L 14–20 vs. Georgia Tech | |
| Conference | Big Six Conference |
| Ranking | |
| AP | No. 12 |
| 1947 record | 8–1–2 (4–0–1 Big 6) |
| Head coach | George Sauer (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| 1947 Big Six Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Kansas + | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 1 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Oklahoma + | 4 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 2 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 1 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On October 11, 1947, the team established a new program scoring record with 86 points against South Dakota State. The total bested the prior record of 83 points scored against Washington University in 1923.[3]
Halfback Ray Evans was selected by the Associated Press and Grantland Rice as a first-team player on the 1947 All-America team.[4][5] He was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Four Kansas players received first-team honors from the United Press on the 1947 All-Big Six Conference football team: Evans; end Otto Schnellbacher; guard Don Fambrough; and halfback Forrest Griffith.[6]
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20 | vs. TCU* | T 0–0 | 15,000 | [7] | ||
| September 26 | at Denver* | W 9–0 | 28,000 | [8] | ||
| October 4 | Iowa State |
| W 27–7 | 17,500 | [9] | |
| October 11 | South Dakota State* |
| W 86–6 | 14,000 | [3] | |
| October 18 | at Oklahoma |
| T 13–13 | 34,700 | [10] | |
| November 1 | Kansas State |
| W 55–0 | 20,033 | [11] | |
| November 8 | at Nebraska | W 13–7 | 37,000 | [12] | ||
| November 15 | at Oklahoma A&M* |
| W 13–7 | 15,000 | [13] | |
| November 22 | Missouri | No. 17 |
| W 20–14 | 40,043 | [14] |
| November 29 | at Arizona* | No. 13 | W 54–28 | 14,000 | [15] | |
| January 1, 1948 | vs. No. 10 Georgia Tech | No. 12 |
| L 14–20 | 59,578 | [16] |
| ||||||
References
- "1947 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 183.
- "New Kansas Scoring Record In Victory". Joplin Globe. October 12, 1947. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
- "Midwest Places Three Backs On AP All-American Squad: Lujack, Evans and Chappuis On First Team". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. December 3, 1947.
- "Collier's Grid Team Announced". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, OH. December 5, 1947.
- "1947 All Big Six Team". The Lawton (Okla.) Constitution. November 28, 1947. p. 12.
- "Kansas, TCU Fight To Scoreless Tie". The Sunday News and Tribune (Jefferson City, Missouri). September 21, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- "One Scoring Punch: Kansas Dumps Denver, 9-0, on Second-Period Splurge". The Des Moines Register. September 27, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- Dixie Smith (October 5, 1947). "Evans Boosts Kansas By Cyclones, 27-7". The Des Moines Register. p. V-1, V-8 – via Newspapers.com.
- Hal Middlesworth (October 19, 1947). "Sooners, Kansas Tie, 13-13". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
- "K. U. Whips Cats 55-0". Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle. November 2, 1947. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Last-Minute Tally Gives KU 13-7 Win Over Huskers". Beatrice Daily Sun. November 9, 1947. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- John Cronley (November 16, 1947). "Hawks' Stuff Barely Enough To Beat Pokes". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. Sports 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
- "K.U. Overcomes Tigers 20-14". Mercury-Chronicle (Manhattan, Kansas). November 23, 1947. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
- Abe Chanin (November 30, 1947). "Kansas Trumps Arizona, 54-28". The Arizona Daily Star. pp. 1A, 1B – via Newspapers.com.
- Guy Butler (January 2, 1948). "60,000 Go Wild As Tech Staves Off Kansas Rally". Miami Daily News. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.