Kansas Jayhawks football The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks . The program is classified in the NCAA ' s Division I , and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference . Kansas football dates back to 1890 and is one the oldest programs in the nation . Notable former players include Pro Football Hall of famers Gale Sayers , John Riggins , and Mike McCormack , as well as All - Americans John Hadl , Dana Stubblefield , Bobby Douglass , Nolan Cromwell , Aqib Talib , and Anthony Collins . The Jayhawks have won one BCS bowl game , the 2008 Orange Bowl . The team currently plays in Memorial Stadium which seats 50 , 071 fans . The stadium opened in 1921 , making it the seventh oldest college football stadium in the nation . Charlie Weis was named the head coach following the termination of Turner Gill on December 8 , 2011 . The program ' s all - time record is 573 – 570 – 58 . Team records and statistics . Bowl appearances . The Jayhawks have a 6 - 6 bowl record : Conference championships . ( * ) Indicates a co - championship . In 1960 , the Jayhawks beat Missouri 23 - 7 to take the Big 8 title . This game was later forfeited , when a Jayhawk player was ruled ineligible following the season , Missouri was subsequently rewarded the title . Rivalries and other series . Missouri ( Border War ) . KU used to compete with the Missouri Tigers in the second oldest rivalry in major college football , and the oldest west of the Mississippi River . First played in 1891 , the Jayhawks and Tigers met on the gridiron every year since , with the lone exception of 1918 ( flu epidemic ) . The annual game was known as the " Border War , which derives from actual warfare that occurred during the Civil War between free - state " Jayhawkers " pro - slavery " Bushwhackers " from Missouri . Six towns , including Osceola , Missouri , were pillaged and raided by the Jayhawkers . In retaliation , William Quantrill and his band of Bushwhackers burned Lawrence to the ground in what became known as the Lawrence Massacre . Ironically , Columbia , Missouri , the location of the University of Missouri was also nearly raided by Quantrill ' s band . The name of the rivalry has since been officially rebranded as the " Border Showdown " following the advent of the Iraq War , although the historical name prevails in usage . Each year the winner of the game was awarded a traveling trophy , the Indian War Drum . Following the 2007 Border Showdown , Kansas retired the current drum . However , Kansas earned it back with a victory over Missouri in the 2008 Border Showdown under quarterback Todd Reesing . Kansas lost the 120th , and most recent and final , Border Showdown to Missouri , 24 - 10 . In 1911 , more than 1 , 000 people gathered in downtown Lawrence , Kansas to watch a mechanical reproduction of the game while it was being played . A Western Union telegraph wire was set up direct from Columbia , Missouri . A group of people then would announce the results of the previous play and used a large model of a football playing field to show the results . Those in attendance cheered as though they were watching the game live , including the school ' s legendary " Rock Chalk , Jayhawk " cheer . With Missouri ' s move to the Southeastern Conference in 2012 there are currently no future games scheduled . Missouri has indicated a willingness to continue playing the annual game , but Kansas officials have routinely expressed that they are no longer interested in continuing the rivalry . Missouri was the forth school to make the decision to leave the Big 12 after the 2011 - 2012 academic year , in the process further damaging the stability of the conference for the remaining Big 12 schools , including Kansas . Kansas State ( Sunflower Showdown ) . 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 leads the all - time series 65 - 39 - 5 , while Kansas State has won more Governor ' s Cups ( 23 - 19 - 1 ) . Nebraska . The Kansas - Nebraska series was the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football until Nebraska ' s departure for the Big 10 Conference in 2011 . Kansas and Nebraska met for the first time in 1892 , and faced off annually from 1906 until 2010 . Along with the Missouri rivalry , this gives Kansas the second - and third - most played college football series in existence ( Minnesota and Wisconsin have played one more game than KU - MU and two more than KU - NU ) . KU is only 23 - 90 - 3 all - time against the Cornhuskers ( as of 2010 ) , and from 1969 - 2004 the Huskers rang up 36 consecutive victories , second longest in NCAA Division I ( only Notre Dame ' s streak over Navy was longer ) . That streak ended on November 5 , 2005 , when Kansas defeated Nebraska 40 - 15 in Lawrence . They again beat Nebraska 76 - 39 in Lawrence on November 3 , 2007 . This was the largest number of points ever surrendered by a Nebraska team ; the Jayhawks also set records for most points against Nebraska in a half ( 1st half , 48 points ) and quarter ( 2nd quarter , 27 points ) . The 95 points scored by the Jayhawks in 2006 and 2007 combined is the largest consecutive two - year total in the series . Also , the 32 points scored in an overtime loss at Nebraska on September 30 , 2006 , was the most by any Jayhawk team in Lincoln since 1899 , when KU won 36 - 20 in the two teams ' eighth all - time meeting . Former football coach Turner Gill is a former athlete and coach for the Cornhuskers , playing football and baseball during his college career and returning as an assistant football coach for 1989 , 1992 - 2004 . ( The Ring of Honor is located atop the northern bowl at Memorial Stadium and is intended to honor Kansas All - Americans and others who have made a significant on - field contribution to the football program . ) Coaches . Head Coaches . Head football coaches , including their win - loss records , years coached , and reason for leaving if other than firing :