1976 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1976 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	6–5 (2–5 Big 8)
Head coach	Bud Moore (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	John Levra (2nd season)
Captains	Nolan Cromwell Chris Golub
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1975 1977  →

1976 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 16 Colorado +	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 14 Oklahoma State +	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 5 Oklahoma +	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	1
No. 19 Iowa State	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
No. 9 Nebraska	4	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	1
Missouri	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kansas State	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Bud Moore, the Jayhawks compiled a 6–5 record (2–5 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 260 to 251. ^{[1] [2]} They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The team's statistical leaders included Nolan Cromwell with 273 passing yards, Laverne Smith with 978 rushing yards (completing his KU career averaging 6.5 yards per carry), and Waddell Smith with 221 receiving yards. ^[3] Cromwell and Chris Golub were the team captains. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	at Oregon State *	No. 19	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	W 28–16	29,952	[4]
September 11	Washington State *	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 35–16	39,475	[5]
September 18	Kentucky *	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 37–16	50,170	[6]
October 2	Wisconsin *	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 34–24	48,350	[7]
October 9	at Oklahoma State	No. 8	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	L 14–21	37,500	[8]
October 16	No. 6 Oklahoma	No. 15	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 10–28	52,100	[9]
October 23	at Kansas State		KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	W 24–14	43,500	[10]
October 30	No. 9 Nebraska		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 3–31	50,850	[11]
November 6	Iowa State		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 17–31	38,250	[12]
November 13	at No. 19 Colorado		Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 17–40	47,850	[13]
November 20	at No. 19 Missouri		Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Border War)	W 41–14	62,559	[14]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1976 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 23 Billy Campfield Jr QB 9 Nolan Cromwell Sr G 67 Dave Hentges Sr OT 64 Lindsey Mason Jr QB 10 Scott McMichael Sr RB 29 Skip Sharp Sr RB 30 Laverne Smith Sr WR 86 Waddell Smith Sr OT 72 Blake Thompson Sr C 54 Mike Wellman So	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 78 Terry Beeson Sr DT 77 Mike Butler Sr DE 93 Tom Dinkel Jr CB 13 Tom Fitch Jr S Chris Golub Sr DE 81 Steve Jones Sr LB 89 Jim Zidd So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bud Moore Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1976 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 185.
3. "1976 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
4. "Jayhawk rally clips Beavers". Oakland Tribune. September 5, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Kansas, K-State too much for Cougars". Tulsa World. September 12, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Kansas trounces Kentucky and beats the heat". The Kansas City Star. September 19, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Slow start stops Wisconsin". Wisconsin State Journal. October 3, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Okla. State stuns No. 8 Jayhawks". The Des Moines Register. October 10, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Cromwell hurt; Sooners whip KU". The Salina Journal. October 17, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Jayhawks' win decided early". The Wichita Eagle & Beacon. October 24, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Ferragamo's passing propels NU to win". Star-Herald. October 31, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "K-State and K.U. keep tumbling down". The Kansas City Star. November 7, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Buffs post 40–17 win over Kansas". Casper Star-Tribune. November 14, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "KU 'Hawks knock out Missouri 41–14". Great Bend Tribune. November 21, 1976. Retrieved September 14, 2025– via Newspapers.com.