Mayer: Great games, few fans

The Kansas-Colorado football series has produced some of the most thrilling battles a fan could want, yet it never has created much of a stir at the box office, particularly in Lawrence.

CU holds a 40-21-3 advantage and in recent years has drawn crowds in the 50,000 range for visits by KU. That’s mainly because the Buffaloes have been pretty good, KU hasn’t had a winning season since 1995, and the party-happy Boulder people have viewed the Jayhawks as icing on their tailgating and drinking cakes.

Biggest KU-CU crowd here was 48,500 in 1996, Glen Mason’s final season. Lowest local turnout for a Buffalo visit was a 20,000 estimate in 1956. Boulder people registered 21,000 in 1963 and 21,200 in 1965. As Variety Magazine might put it, KU and CU aren’t often “Boffo at the B(ox)O(ffice).”

Former KU basketball coach Roy Williams emitted that childish “wine and cheese” barb about a quiet local Kansas-Colorado audience once. Hadn’t done his homework. It’s an exception when the two schools inflame each other very passionately.

Yet men who have been involved in some of those classic bashes (naturally, I remember best the thrillers Kansas won) relive them with delight.

You’ll probably never top the 1950 KU-CU game here, with only 24,000 in the stands. KU staged the biggest (then) comeback in its history by wiping out a 0-21 deficit in the final 20 minutes for a 27-21 victory. Charlie Hoag, Wade Stinson, Chet Strehlow, Bill Schaake and Bill Rinehart produced the points. In the winning drive, KU completed its only three passes of the afternoon. The CU team that day was no dog, featuring Zack Jordan, Woody Shelton and Merwin Hodel.

You never have trouble eliciting fond memories from any living Jayhawk who figured in that gut-wrencher. Sadly, too many of those happy warriors are gone.

Move to 1957 at Boulder – KU 35, CU 34, in the final season for coach Chuck Mather. Kansas used quarterbacks Wally Strauch, Larry McKown and Duane Morris. Duane, who lives here now, place-kicked the winning point, then intercepted a Boyd Dowler pass to cinch the victory. Guys played both ways then, glory be!

Strauch threw two first-quarter touchdown passes before being benched because of a head injury. Morris, who straight-on booted the final two decisive conversions, directed a touchdown drive in the third quarter. McKown, Homer Floyd and Lawrence’s own Charlie McCue worked some magic, but there was no certainty until Morris toed that 35th point and got the pick that nullified 450 yards of CU offense. Ray Barnes and Larry Carrier also were key men. It was a nail-biter with 10 touchdowns, nine extra points – five for KU, four for CU. And three productive KU quarterbacks!

Fans back here who listened on the radio went nuts. So did the Jayhawks as they fought to a 5-4-1 record which brought Mather the league coach-of-the-year honor as he departed. He’d resigned when KU had a 1-4-1 mark, then saw his club roar 4-0 down the stretch.

CU got revenge for 1950 in 1961. Kansas, with John Hadl at the throttle, took a 19-0 lead into the fourth quarter only to see Gale Weidner spark CU to a 20-19 triumph. Oh, what a stinger!

The KU-CU series has produced other dandies, but it never has captured the fancy of a lot of fans, particularly in Lawrence. With a 40-21-3 dominance, it’s easy to see why the Blase Buffs elitists don’t get choked up about the “rivalry.”