1980 Kansas Jayhawks football team

1980 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	4–5–2 (3–3–1 Big 8)
Head coach	Don Fambrough (6th season)
Captains	Harry Sydney Frank Wattlelet
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1979 1981  →

1980 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Oklahoma $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 7 Nebraska	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Missouri	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	4	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas	1	–	6	–	0			2	–	8	–	1
Colorado	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Don Fambrough, the Jayhawks compiled a 4–5–2 record (3–3–1 against conference opponents), and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 208 to 171. ^{[1] [2]} They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The team's statistical leaders included Frank Seurer with 797 passing yards, Kerwin Bell with 1,114 rushing yards, and David Verser with 576 receiving yards. ^[3] Harry Sydney and Frank Wattlelet were the team captains. ^[2]

In October 1982, an NCAA investigation revealed that running back Kerwin Bell was not an eligible player for the 1980 and 1981 seasons due to not surpassing the 2.0 minimum high school GPA. The Big Eight Conference ruled that all Kansas games in which Bell played were to be forfeited, bringing their conference record to 1–6 on the year. ^[4] However, Kansas still records these games as victories in their record book, including their 20–18 victory over rival Kansas State. The two schools dispute the overall series record because of this.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Oregon *	Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	T 7–7	27,750	[5]
September 20	No. 5 Pittsburgh *	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 3–18	41,300	[6]
September 27	Louisville *	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 9–17	32,800	[7]
October 4	at Syracuse *	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	W 23–8	43,126	[8]
October 11	No. 10 Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 0–54	50,268	[9]
October 18	No. 19 Iowa State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 28–17	30,000	[10]
October 25	at Oklahoma State	Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	T 14–14	41,000	[11]
November 1	at Kansas State	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (Sunflower Showdown)	W 20–18	43,276	[12]
November 8	No. 11 Oklahoma	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 19–21	40,150	[13]
November 15	at Colorado	Folsom Field Boulder, CO	W 42–3	24,187	[14]
November 22	at Missouri	Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Border War)	L 6–31	64,356	[15]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1980 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 20 Wayne Capers So RB 44 Larry Kemp Sr WR 3 Lester Mickens Sr QB 10 Frank Seurer Fr RB 24 Harry Sydney Sr WR 89 David Verser Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 95 Jeff Fox Sr LB 81 Kyle McNorton Jr CB 32 Elvis Patterson Fr DT 77 Greg Smith Jr CB 41 Joe Tumpich Sr DB 5 Dan Wagoner Jr S 40 Frank Wattelet Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 8 Bucky Scribner So	Head coach Don Fambrough (6th year) Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

^[16]

References

1. "1980 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 186.
3. "1980 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
4. "Lawrence Journal-World - Google News Archive Search". google.com.
5. "Kansas, Oregon take tie". The Lincoln Star. September 14, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Pitt sputters, then rolls by Kansas 18–3". The Kansas City Star. September 21, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Louisville stops Hawks". Olathe News. September 28, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Jayhawks turnback weakened Syracuse, 23–8". St. Joseph News-Press. October 5, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Nebraska has no mercy on hapless Hawks, 54–0". Olathe News. October 12, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Kansas upsets Iowa State". St. Joseph News-Press. October 19, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bell lifts Jayhawks to 14–14 tie with Cowboys". The Salina Journal. October 26, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "KU's Bel gongs Kansas State". The Grand Island Independent. November 2, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "OU squeezes out win". The Manhattan Mercury. November 9, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "KU offense stings Buffs 42–3". The Kansas City Star. November 16, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Mizzou preps for Liberty with 31–6 win over Kansas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 23, 1980. Retrieved November 7, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
16. "Saturday's game rosters". Lawrence Journal-World. Kansas. September 19, 1980. p. 16.