Crist, Hawkinson, Opurum named captains of KU football team

Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist gets down with the offensive line behind the sled as the unit runs through drills during practice on Tuesday, April 10, 2012.

Kansas University football coach Charlie Weis revealed after Tuesday’s practice that the Jayhawks had voted seniors Dayne Crist, Tanner Hawkinson and Toben Opurum as captains for the 2012 season.

Crist, a quarterback, and Hawkinson, his left tackle, are first-time captains. They earned the title of co-captains for the offense when the vote was what Weis dubbed, “too close to call.”

Opurum, a defensive end, was a landslide pick and will serve as a team captain for the second straight season.

Weis said the only parameters placed on the vote was that offensive guys voted for offensive guys, defensive guys voted for defensive guys and specialists voted for one or the other.

The timing of the vote was a little earlier than KU’s players were used to and Weis said that was because he believed his team was in need of an extra dose of leadership in light of recent off-the-field issues that led to the dismissal of a handful of players.

In addition to the tri-captains, a special teams player will serve as a the fourth captain each week during the regular season. Weis said the fourth captain would earn his spot by standing out during the previous week’s game. 

For more, including reaction to the selections, see tomorrow’s Journal-World or check back with KUsports.com.