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). They conference co-champions. The Jayhawks received their first ever AP Poll ranking in program history during the season. 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 6 co-champion
Orange Bowl, L 14–20 vs. Georgia Tech
ConferenceBig Six Conference
Ranking
APNo. 12
Record8–1–2 (4–0–1 Big 6)
Head coach
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
1947 Big Six Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 12 Kansas + 4 –0 –18 –1 –2
No. 16 Oklahoma + 4 –0 –17 –2 –1
Missouri 3 –2 –06 –4 –0
Nebraska 2 –3 –02 –7 –0
Iowa State 1 –4 –03 –6 –0
Kansas State 0 –5 –00 –10 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

On October 11, 1947, the Jayhawks scored 86 points against South Dakota State which remains the highest point total in the history of the program.[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]

Kansas was ranked at No. 21 (out of 500 college football teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1947.[7]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

Schedule
DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 20vs. TCU*
T 0–015,000[8]
September 26at Denver*
W 9–028,000[9]
October 4Iowa State
W 27–717,500[10]
October 11South Dakota State*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 86–614,000[3]
October 18at Oklahoma
T 13–1334,700[11]
November 1Kansas State
W 55–020,033[12]
November 8at Nebraska
W 13–737,000[13]
November 15at Oklahoma A&M*
W 13–715,000[14]
November 22MissouridaggerNo. 17
W 20–1440,043[15]
November 29at Arizona*No. 13
W 54–2814,000[16]
January 1, 1948vs. No. 10 Georgia TechNo. 12
L 14–2059,578[17]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

After the season

NFL draft
Main article: 1948 NFL Draft

The following Jayhawks were selected in the National Football League draft following the season.[18]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
19166Don EttingerGuardNew York Giants
20185Dick MonroeCenterChicago Cardinals

References
  1. "1947 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 183.
  3. "New Kansas Scoring Record In Victory". Joplin Globe. October 12, 1947. p. 10A – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Midwest Places Three Backs On AP All-American Squad: Lujack, Evans and Chappuis On First Team". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. December 3, 1947.
  5. "Collier's Grid Team Announced". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, OH. December 5, 1947.
  6. "1947 All Big Six Team". The Lawton (Okla.) Constitution. November 28, 1947. p. 12.
  7. Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 18, 1947). "Michigan National Champion in Final Litkenhous Ratings". Times. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Kansas, TCU Fight To Scoreless Tie". The Sunday News and Tribune (Jefferson City, Missouri). September 21, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "One Scoring Punch: Kansas Dumps Denver, 9-0, on Second-Period Splurge". The Des Moines Register. September 27, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Dixie Smith (October 5, 1947). "Evans Boosts Kansas By Cyclones, 27-7". The Des Moines Register. p. V-1, V-8 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Hal Middlesworth (October 19, 1947). "Sooners, Kansas Tie, 13-13". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 1B, 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "K. U. Whips Cats 55-0". Manhattan Mercury-Chronicle. November 2, 1947. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Last-Minute Tally Gives KU 13-7 Win Over Huskers". Beatrice Daily Sun. November 9, 1947. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. John Cronley (November 16, 1947). "Hawks' Stuff Barely Enough To Beat Pokes". The Daily Oklahoman. pp. Sports 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "K.U. Overcomes Tigers 20-14". Mercury-Chronicle (Manhattan, Kansas). November 23, 1947. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. Abe Chanin (November 30, 1947). "Kansas Trumps Arizona, 54-28". The Arizona Daily Star. pp. 1A, 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Guy Butler (January 2, 1948). "60,000 Go Wild As Tech Staves Off Kansas Rally". Miami Daily News. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "1948 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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