Gale Sayers died today at 77.

[Plainosooner]

He played at Kansas in the Big 8, including the amazing KU win over OU in Lawrence in 1964, when OU dominated the game. But KU scored on the opening kickoff, scored by Sayers, and then again on the last snap of the game, plus the two pointer, to win 15-14. They didn't snap the ball on OU's side of midfield until the 4th quarter, but still won, in Gomer Jones first year (of only two) as the Sooners' head football coach. It was the first Jayhawk win over OU since 1946.

A year later, he was NFL Rookie of the Year, highlighted by six touchdowns in the next to last game of the year against San Francisco, on a mud slop at Wrigley Field. He scored on an 85-yard punt return, an 80-yard pass reception, and four rushing touchdowns. In the quagmire, everybody else was slipping and sliding around. But Sayers proved to be maybe the greatest mudder of all time.

It also propelled him to 22 touchdowns, an all time NFL record for one season, up to that time. In the days before improved surgery techniques gave football players second and third lives, even running backs, a knee injury, also against the 49ers a couple of years later, shortened his career to five years. But he was splendid as a healthy young running back. In his 22 touchdown season, he scored on runs, pass receptions, a punt return and a kickoff return.

RIP

 

[iasooner1]

And he loved Brian Piccolo

 

[CTOkie]

The second Kansas touchdown in the 1964 loss by OU was on a 25 yard run by the KU quarterback.
As for Sayers' opening kickoff return, he zigged and zagged, faking out several tacklers and was never touched.
When I attended the opening game in College Park Maryland that year, won by OU 13-3, I saw an OU team that was talented, but overrated....and the 40-14 loss to USC a week later, then another 28-7 loss to Texas.....revealed that team just wasn't that good. Gomer Jones seemingly could not motivate his first team as head coach.
There was, however, a big upset win over Nebraska, 17-7, that stunned an undefeated Cornhusker team....which went on to lose to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl 10-7.
OU went to the Gator Bowl, losing 36-19 to Florida State and Fred Biletnikoff's 5 TD receptions.....in a game that saw 9 touchdowns scored and only one successful extra point. Ben Hart's 95 yard pass reception was OU's lone highlight.

 

[Plainosooner]

The second Kansas touchdown in the 1964 loss by OU was on a 25 yard run by the KU quarterback.
As for Sayers' opening kickoff return, he zigged and zagged, faking out several tacklers and was never touched.
When I attended the opening game in College Park Maryland that year, won by OU 13-3, I saw an OU team that was talented, but overrated....and the 40-14 loss to USC a week later, then another 28-7 loss to Texas.....revealed that team just wasn't that good. Gomer Jones seemingly could not motivate his first team as head coach.
There was, however, a big upset win over Nebraska, 17-7, that stunned an undefeated Cornhusker team....which went on to lose to Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl 10-7.
OU went to the Gator Bowl, losing 36-19 to Florida State and Fred Biletnikoff's 5 TD receptions.....in a game that saw 9 touchdowns scored and only one successful extra point. Ben Hart's 95 yard pass reception was OU's lone highlight.

That loss to FSU, OUr only loss to them ever, might not have happened if Ralph Neely, Lance Rentzel, Jim Grisham and Wes Skidgel hadn't been kicked off the team for signing pro contracts before bowl season. The irony of course was that Biletnikoff and FSU QB Steve Tensi had also, but pretended to in the replication under the goal posts after the game.

That was at the height of bidding wars between the AFL & NFL before the merger in June of 1966. Future draft picks were allowed in those days, as well as drafting during the season.

In the days before bowl games counted in determining the college national champ "officially" Alabama won the most prominent polls, AP & UPI. But when the defending national champion Longhorns whose only loss was to Arkansas, beat Bama with a late goal line stand, Arky's Cotton Bowl win left them the only undefeated team. Some lesser entities named the Pigs national champs and Arky still claims it. Their only one ever.

Their fastest rb was Harry Jones from Lindsey Ok. And their two most prominent players became Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.

 

[Plainosooner]

I didn't word that very well. The guy who scored on the last play in '64 was KU's backup qb. I've searched online to try to find who scored the two-pointer. But no luck. Maybe in a library.

 

[CTOkie]

I didn't word that very well. The guy who scored on the last play in '64 was KU's backup qb. I've searched online to try to find who scored the two-pointer. But no luck. Maybe in a library.

Kansas RB Mike Johnson scored the two point conversion on a sweep. for the winning points. Johnson only ran for 238 yards on 65 attempts that year with only 2 touchdowns. He played in the NFL after the 1965 season (with Dallas).

 

[CTOkie]

Also, that stats were:
OU....253 RUSHING....93 PASSING (5 OF 9)....but 3 fumbles lost.
KU....101 RUSHING....91 PASSING (6 OF 10)....and 2 fumbles lost.