| 1961 Kansas Jayhawks football | |
|---|---|
Bluebonnet Bowl champion | |
Bluebonnet Bowl, W 33–7 vs. Rice | |
| Conference | Big Eight Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 15 |
| Record | 7–3–1 (5–2 Big 8) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Memorial Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Colorado $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Missouri | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 2 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Kansas Jayhawks football team was an American football team represented the University of Kansas as a member of the Big Eight Conference (Big 8) during the 1961 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Jack Mitchell, the Jayhawks compiled a 6–3–1 record (5–2 in conference games), finished in second place in the Big 8, and outscored opponents by a total of 269 to 88. They were ranked No. 15 in the final AP writers poll and UPI coaches poll.
After starting the season 0–2–1, the Jayhawks won six consecutive games. Highlights of the season included a 10–0 victory over Oklahoma (the Jayhawks' first victory over the Sooners since 1946), a 34–0 victory over in-state rival Kansas State, a 53–7 road victory over California, and a 33–7 postseason victory over Rice in the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl.
Senior quarterback John Hadl led the team with 958 yards of total offense in the regular season and was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as a first-team All-American. He also received 33 first-place votes for the Heisman Trophy and was seventh in the balloting.
Kansas played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.