1970 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1970 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	5–6 (2–5 Big 8)
Head coach	Pepper Rodgers (4th season)
Captain	Larry Brown
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium

1970 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Nebraska $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	1
No. 20 Oklahoma	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	1
Kansas State	5	–	2	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Missouri	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Colorado	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Oklahoma State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Iowa State	1	–	6	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1970 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Pepper Rodgers, the Jayhawks compiled a 5–6 record (2–5 against conference opponents), tied for sixth place in the Big Eight Conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 277 to 270.^[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, where artificial turf was installed.

The team's statistical leaders included Dan Heck with 1,169 passing yards, John Riggins with 1,131 rushing yards and Ron Jessie with 308 receiving yards.^[3] Larry Brown was the team captain.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 12	Washington State*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 48–31	31,971–34,000
September 19	Texas Tech*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 0–23	36,355–38,700
September 26	at Syracuse*	Archbold Stadium Syracuse, NY	W 31–14	20,643–25,000
October 3	New Mexico*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 49–23	39,094–41,000	[4]
October 10	at Kansas State	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	W 21–15	41,070
October 17	No. 5 Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 20–41	46,500–50,200
October 24	Iowa State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 24–10	35,837–37,750
October 31	at Oklahoma State	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	L 7–19	33,488–35,000
November 7	at Colorado	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 29–45	37,250–38,445
November 14	Oklahoma	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 24–28	36,820
November 21	at Missouri	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (Border War)	L 17–28	57,521
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1970 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class OT 70 Larry Brown Sr WR 23 Ron Jessie Sr OT 78 Steve Lawson Sr RB 32 John Riggins Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Pepper Rodgers Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

1971 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
John Riggins	Fullback	1	6	New York Jets
Steve Lawson	Guard	2	41	Cincinnati Bengals
Larry Brown	Tight end	5	106	Pittsburgh Steelers
Ron Jessie	Wide receiver	8	206	Dallas Cowboys

References

1. "1970 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 185.
3. "1970 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
4. "Kansas romps, 49–23". Lincoln Sunday Journal Star. October 4, 1970. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.