Officially Licensed Kansas Football Throwback Jerseys Available in Stores Friday

Sept. 29, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. – As an ode to the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl Champions, Kansas Athletics has teamed up with adidas to release an officially licensed Throwback jersey that will be available in stores tomorrow (Friday, September 30).

“We worked closely with our sideline partner, adidas, in designing this jersey,” said Paul Vander Tuig, Kansas Athletics’ Director of Trademark Licensing. “We felt that the week of Homecoming was a very appropriate time to hearken back to this era in this manner, and it also coincides with our official recognition of that great 1961 team.”

Kansas Athletics and K Club will honor its 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl team at Saturday’s 11 a.m. Homecoming game against Texas Tech. The ’61 team defeated Rice, 33-7, in that year’s bowl game in Houston, Texas, providing KU with its first bowl victory. Members of the team will be recognized after the first quarter of Saturday’s game.

The 1961 Jayhawks finished with a 7-3-1 record that included a six-game winning streak, highlighted by a victory over Kansas State in KU’s Homecoming game that year. The team featured the KU Hall of Fame backfield of John Hadl and Curtis McClinton.

The Throwback jerseys feature a Columbia blue jersey with white numbers and red trim. They also are made with a tag that reads “Hail to Old KU.”

The jerseys can be purchased at Saturday’s game and by visiting KUStore.com, or at the KU Store location inside Allen Fieldhouse.