Topeka Capital Journal
Oct. 24, 2001

Since Kansas State and Kansas are playing football this week, it is perhaps the right time to pass along a few irrelevant remarks about both institutions of Higher Learning. I can only hope none are construed as irreverent, because many of their fans take this game seriously, and believe everyone should.

For example, it would perhaps be irreverent to sing the I-70 blues and say there isn’t a good football team between St. Louis and Denver, except for Kansas Wesleyan in Salina, which is 5-2 for the season, and ranked in the top 25 in the NAIA poll.

The Rams on the Eastern end are unbeaten, but Missouri, the Chiefs, KU, Washburn, K-State and Fort Hays all have losing records. And at the Western end, the Broncos aren’t all that hot.

* The K State KU game Saturday would be the 100th in a string that started in 1902 if, for some reason, they hadn’t skipped playing in 1910. Why they didn’t play that year is not explained in the weighty press guides published by both schools.

It would have been a good game. K State under coach Mike Ahearn played its first 11 game schedule that season, winning 10 while outscoring the opposition 476 to 20. All but three of the games were shutouts, and the lone loss was to Colorado College, 15-8. It was a Bill Snyder-like season.

KU, in 1910, under coach Bert Kennedy, was 6-1-1 losing only to Nebraska and tying Missouri.

* One of the great characters in the history of the sports rivalry between KU and K-State is Doctor Forest C. “Phog” Allen, a legend as KU’s basketball coach, but also the football coach in the 1920 season. He had a 5-2-1 record beating K-State and Washburn, and tying Nebraska. Continue reading →