College
KU football dates from 1890. The past teams have not fared well are the teams continue to be bullied by the rest of the big 12. The program today is classified in Division I-A. While not a national powerhouse like KU's basketball team, the Jayhawk football team has had notable alumni including Gale Sayers, a two time All-American who later enjoyed an injury-shortened yet Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears; John Riggins, another Pro Football Hall of Famer with the Washington Redskins; John Hadl, Steve Towle, Dana Stubblefield, Bobby Douglass, and Nolan Cromwell. KU has appeared twice in the Orange Bowl: 1948 and 1969, and most recently made a bowl appearance in the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl. The Jayhawks currently play in Memorial Stadium (cap. 50,071), the first stadium built on a college campus west of the Mississippi River, which opened in 1921. They are coached by Mark Mangino (fifth season at Kansas), and their record in 2006 is 6-6 (3-5 Big 12). As of November 25, 2006, the program's overall record is 542-537-58 (.503).
The Jayhawks have two traditional archrivals. KU competes with the University of Missouri Tigers in the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football west of the Mississippi River, first played in 1891 and originally known as the "Border War." The name of the rivalry has since changed to the "Border Showdown" following the aftermath of 9/11. Each year the winner of the game is awarded a traveling trophy, the Marching Band Drum. In addition, KU has a rivalry with the Kansas State Wildcats called the Sunflower Showdown; when the two teams compete in football, the winner is awarded the Governor's Cup by the governor of Kansas.
Kansas has also played an annual game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers since 1905. This gives Kansas the second- and third-most played college football games in existence. KU is only 22-88-3 all-time against the Cornhuskers (as of 2006), and from 1969-2004 the Huskers rang up 36 consecutive victories, second longest in NCAA Division I (only Notre Dame's streak over Navy is longer). That streak came crashing down on November 5, 2005, when Kansas defeated Nebraska 40-15 in Lawrence. The 40 points are the most by the Jayhawks against Nebraska, and the 72 points scored by the Jayhawks in 2005 and 2006 combined is the largest consecutive two-year total in the series. Also, in the overtime loss on September 30, 2006, the 32 points scored was the most by any Jayhawk team in Lincoln since 1899, when KU won 36-20 in only their eighth all-time meeting.[4]
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