1974 Kansas Jayhawks football team

The 1974 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Don Fambrough, the Jayhawks compiled a 4–7 record (1–6 against conference opponents), tied for last place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 247 to 157.^[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

1974 Kansas Jayhawks football
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Record	4–7 (1–6 Big 8)
Head coach	Don Fambrough (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Dickey (2nd season)
Captain	Robert Miller, Steve Towle
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1973 1975 →

1974 Big Eight Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Oklahoma $	7	–	0	–	0			11	–	0	–	0
Missouri	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
No. 9 Nebraska	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Oklahoma State	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Colorado	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Iowa State	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Scott McMichael with 1,044 passing yards, Laverne Smith with 1,181 rushing yards and Emmett Edwards with 542 receiving yards.^[3] Robert Miller and Steve Towle were the team captains.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	at Washington State*		Joe Albi Stadium Spokane, WA	W 14–7	29,350–30,142
September 21	at No. 17 Tennessee*		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	L 3–17	71,610–72,178	[4]
September 28	Florida State*		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 40–9	33,664–38,780
October 5	No. 5 Texas A&M*		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 28–10	32,953–36,230
October 12	at Kansas State	No. 19	KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS (rivalry)	W 20–13	44,899
October 19	No. 12 Nebraska	No. 13	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	L 0–56	50,523
October 26	Iowa State		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 6–22	29,634–31,134
November 2	at Oklahoma State		Lewis Field Stillwater, OK	L 13–24	42,490
November 9	at Colorado		Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 16–17	47,701–48,831
November 16	No. 1 Oklahoma		Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 14–45	43,974
November 23	at Missouri		Faurot Field Columbia, MO (Border War)	L 3–27	55,159
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1974 Kansas Jayhawks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 22 Paul Bower Jr WR 25 Bruce Adams Sr WR 47 Emmett Edwards Sr FB 33 Steve Elliott Jr G 66 Mike Englebrake Sr TE 84 Jerry Gilmore Jr TE 88 Gregg Hosack Jr QB 10 Scott McMichael Jr QB 11 Jud Mitchell Jr G 67 David Hentges Jr G 71 Leonard Schmitz Jr FB 32 Robert Miller Sr RB 17 Randy Ross Sr WR 83 Ken Saathoff Sr OT 76 Dave Scott Jr OT 70 Gordon Stockemer Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 51 Dean Baird Sr DB 9 Nolan Cromwell So FS 30 Jim David Jr DE 68 Don Goode Sr CB 18 Kurt Knoff Jr DT 45 Mike Lemon Sr LB 53 Randy Robinson Sr CB 34 Steve Taylor Jr LB 50 Steve Towle Sr DE 87 Dean Zook Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 31 Bob Swift Jr	Head coach Don Fambrough Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Emmett Edwards	Wide Receiver	2	40	Houston Oilers
Bruce Adams	Wide Recelver	4	103	Minnesota Vikings
Robert Miller	Running Back	5	129	Minnesota Vikings
Steve Towle	Linebacker	6	143	Miami Dolphins
Mike Lemon	Linebacker	6	149	New Orleans Saints

References

1. "1974 Kansas Jayhawks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
2. 2017 Kansas Football Media Guide, p. 185.
3. "1974 Kansas Jayhawks Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
4. "Tennessee's big plays thump Kansas". The Wichita Beacon. September 22, 1974. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.