Wikipedia

1948 Kansas Jayhawks football team

The 1948 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Seven Conference during the 1948 college football season. In their first season under head coach Jules V. Sikes, the Jayhawks compiled a 7–3 record (4–2 against conference opponents), finished third in the Big Seven Conference, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 199 to 137.[1][2]

1948 Kansas Jayhawks football
ConferenceBig Seven Conference
Record7–3 (4–2 Big 7)
Head coach
CaptainHugh Johnson, Frank Pattee
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1947
1949 →
1948 Big Seven Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 Oklahoma $ 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
Missouri 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 3 – 0
Kansas 4 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Colorado 2 – 3 – 0 3 – 6 – 0
Iowa State 2 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Nebraska 2 – 4 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
Kansas State 0 – 6 – 0 1 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Kansas was ranked at No. 47 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.[3] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

On October 9, 1948, the Jayhawks played the 500th game in program history, a 20-7 victory over Iowa State.[2] The team won seven of its first eight games but finished the season with back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Missouri.[1]

Notable players on the 1948 squad included fullback Forrest Griffith, quarterback Dick Gilman, end Bryan Sperry, tackle Mike McCormack, and guard Dick Tomlinson. Griffith was the team's leading rusher with 368 yards on 96 carries;[4] he was also the leading scorer with 37 points scored on six touchdowns and an extra point.[5] Gilman was the leading passer with 44 completions on 129 attempts for 945 passing yards, 14 interceptions and 14 touchdown passes.[6]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 18TCU*
L 13–1426,000
September 24at Denver*
W 40–025,070[7]
October 2Colorado
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 40–721,000
October 9at Iowa State
W 20–711,959
October 15at George Washington*
W 12–013,814[8]
October 23Nebraska 
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS (rivalry)
W 27–736,500
October 30Oklahoma A&M*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
W 13–723,957
November 13at Kansas State
W 20–1418,000
November 20 No. 8 Oklahoma
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Lawrence, KS
L 7–6039,000
November 25at Missouri
L 7–2132,000
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

After the season

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NFL draft

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Main article: 1949 NFL draft

The following Jayhawks were selected in the National Football League draft following the season.[9]

Round Pick Player Position NFL club
22 219 Dick Bertuzzi Back Chicago Bears
23 228 Frank Pattee Back Washington Redskins

References

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  1. ^ a b "1948 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b 2017 Media Guide, p. 183.
  3. ^ "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 127.
  5. ^ 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 138.
  6. ^ 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 131.
  7. ^ "Kansas Smothers Denver Pioneers, 40-0". The Daily Sentinel. September 25, 1948. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "K.U. 12, George Wash. 6 go in air to win". The Kansas City Times. October 16, 1949. Retrieved February 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "1949 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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