Statues of two Kansas Jayhawks football greats are unveiled outside stadium
Bronze statues of former University of Kansas football greats Gale Sayers and John Hadl were unveiled outside Booth Memorial Stadium at halftime of Saturday’s KU-Oklahoma State football game.
KU chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Jeff Long led a virtual ceremony that was shown on the scoreboard at the stadium and streamed online.
The statues in front of the Anderson Family Football Complex on the west side of the stadium each stand 8 feet tall and weigh close to 1,000 pounds.
Sayers and Hadl are the first players or coaches associated with KU football to have statues of their likeness placed on campus.
Sayers, who was born in Wichita and went to high school in Omaha, Nebraska, played running back at KU from 1962-64. He finished with 2,675 rushing yards and 3,917 all-purpose yards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977. Following his Kansas career, Sayers was a first-round pick of the NFL’s Chicago Bears and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. He was also inducted in the Pro Football Hall in 1977.
KU on Saturday sketched Sayers’ No. 48 on the 25-yard lines on both sides of the field for the game. He died on Sept. 23 at the age of 77.
“When I used to run with the football, I was able to accomplish so much with natural instincts,” Sayers said in a video shown at halftime. “One of my most enduring quotes really says it all: ‘Give me 18 inches of daylight. That’s all I need.’’’
Hadl played at Kansas from 1959-61. The first two-time All-American in program history, Hadl was a quarterback, halfback, defensive back and punter.
A three-time all-conference selection, Hadl finished his career with 1,281 passing yards and 1,016 rushing yards. He led the country in punting in 1959.
Hadl’s No. 21 jersey is one of three retired Kansas football numbers, joining Sayers and Ray Evans. He holds the school record for longest interception return (98 yards vs. TCU in 1959) and longest punt (94 yards vs. Oklahoma in 1959).
Hadl, who from Lawrence and in retirement lives in Lawrence, is a member of the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994. He had a 16-year NFL career and threw for more than 33,000 yards. He was named NFL Man of the Year in 1971.
“The great thing about being a Jayhawk is the relationships that are created,” Hadl said in the halftime video. “While you are going to school, there is the camaraderie you’ve had playing on teams but the biggest thing when it’s all over, are the friendships that you’ve created and the relationships you maintain.
“I think I can quarterback as well as anybody. it is just a matter of one’s belief in himself and that is what I do. The one thing I’ve always had I feel is a belief in myself. We have a great pride in being form Kansas and the way of life of Kansans and the togetherrness of Kansans.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 10:56 AM with the headline "Statues of two Kansas Jayhawks football greats are unveiled outside stadium."
