Gale Sayers almost a Hawkeye??

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denguegopher

denguegopher

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For some reason it gave me pleasure to read this, the last sentence anyway. Nice move Jerry (Burns).

Gale Sayers
Born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Sayers graduated from Omaha Central High School. There he set a state long jump record of 24'11¾". He went on to play college football at the University of Kansas and was a two-time All-American. During his Jayhawk career, he rushed for 2,675 yards and gained 3,917 all-purpose yards. In 1963, he set an NCAA Division I record with a 99-yard run against Nebraska. In his senior year, he led the Jayhawks to a 15-14 upset victory over Oklahoma with a 96-yard kickoff return. Sayers is considered by many to have been the greatest open field runner in college football history.[1][2] While being interviewed by Len Kasper and Bob Brenly during a broadcast of a Chicago Cubs game on September 8th, 2010, Sayers said he had originally intended to go to the University of Iowa. Sayers said that he decided against going to Iowa after the Iowa head coach, Jerry Burns, did not have time to meet Sayers during his on campus visit.[3]
 


I actually never knew that Jerry Burns used to coach the Hawkeyes...that must have been conflicting for some of the old-timers in this town.
 

Since Burns once said he didn't have any black assistant coaches on his staff because he wanted guys he could play golf with, this news doesn't surprise me. In other words, he's an idiot. MN has had it's share of near misses as well (Bud Wilkinson and Johnny Wooden)
 

IF you are referring to Sid Hartman...I don't think it was a conflict at all...

GopherHomer said:
I actually never knew that Jerry Burns used to coach the Hawkeyes...that must have been conflicting for some of the old-timers in this town.
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Sid was all for running Murray Warmath out of town in the late 1950's when the mobbers and bashers and movers and shakers wanted Murray gone. The Big four in the Big Ten in 1958...59...60...61...62... were the Ohio State, Iowa, Wisky (Milt Bruen (sp?) and Minnesota(1960, 1961 and 1962. However, in 1958 and 59 Minnesota was falling on hard times with some key injuries and lack of depth (Tom Brown injury, et al.) The youngsters (Sandy Stephens, et al.) were in the wings though. Murray and Sid were not on very good terms. But, Sid absolutely loved Forrest Evechevski (sp?) the head coach at Iowa. Just as later Sid always dreamed that Barry Alvarez might come to Minnesota, he also used to hope and hint that just maybe Evechevski could be brought to Minneapolis if the price was right. It just so happens that in the 1960 season, Iowas was ranked #1 in the nation when they came into Minneapolis for the show down game in the Big Ten. Minnesota was #2 going into that game, I believe. Minnesota blew the hawkeyes out of the water with Tom Brown proving to be a one man wrecking crew. Evechevski's top assistant coach was none other than Jerry Burnes. When Evechevski stepped down as the Hawkeye coach( after the 1960 season...he became the AD for about 10 years. ...Burns took over the Iowa program starting in the 1961 season. If I recall correctly, Burns was Sport's Illustrated projected coach of the year one year in pre-season pubs. They fell flat on their faces and there was much shock and dismay in hawkeye land. Burns was pretty much a bust...that led Iowa into their own version of walking in the wilderness. He lasted for four seasons and Evaschevski fired him. Some felt that the AD never really did give up the idea of returning to coaching. From 1960 through the end of Murray's career, he was 9-2-1 vs the Hawkeyes after starting out 1-5 vs Evechevski and the Hawkeyes. From 1960 through 1985 the Gophers were something like 18-6-1 vs. the Hawkeyes.

Sid considered Burns to be a close personal friend long before Burns ended up on the Viking's staff. I believe that Sid also dreamed that Evascheski would leave the AD job at Iowa to come coach at Minnesota. But during the glory years of 1960, 1961, 1962, Murray and Sid were not what you would call "close" personal friends from what I recall. I remember being pretty ticked off at Sid, even as a teen-ager back in those years because he usually wrote nicer stuff about this Forrest Evechevski guy who was the coach at Iowa...than he wrote about Murray. He always kissed that Evechevski guy's butt entirely too much as far as I was concerned.

; 0 )
 


Just a little off topic Sayers was The Kansas Comet, but before the end of the decade another running back was tearing it up for the Jayhawks. Any guesses?
 



Ready for another link to that history. This player broke all of Gale Sayers records at Omaha Central. He went on to play at Nebraska and hurdled Jeff Wright at midfield on the way to a 65 yard TD against the Gophers. If you have this one, you are a Big 8 history buff.
 



husker70 said:
Ready for another link to that history. This player broke all of Gale Sayers records at Omaha Central. He went on to play at Nebraska and hurdled Jeff Wright at midfield on the way to a 65 yard TD against the Gophers. If you have this one, you are a Big 8 history buff.
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Keith "End Zone" Jones 1984-1987 - 4.33 / 40 and anxiously awaited for Doug Dubose to blow out his knee in fall practice.
 


The answer is Joe Orduna.

I'm glad we could all take this time to stroke the Huskers some more.
 

East Coast Gopher said:
Jeff Wright played for the Gophers through 1970. My guess would be Johnny Rodgers, but he went to Omaha Tech.
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At Omaha Central HS
Jones ran for 1,710 yards and 18 TDs as a senior for Coach William Reed at Omaha Central, breaking records set 23 years earlier by Gale Sayers. He ran for a high-school career-high 235 yards against state champion Creighton Prep and 216 yards against runner-up Omaha Gross.
 



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