FORMER KU FOOTBALL STANDOUT (Odds)

Born in Wichita, Gale Sayers was a two-time All-American for the Jayhawks and led KU in rushing, touchdowns and kickoff returns all three years he played (1962-64).

The "Kansas Comet" also led the team in receiving and punt returns his junior and senior seasons. He was the first NCAA Division One player with a 99-yard run, and also had a 96-yard kickoff return in a 15-14 upset of Oklahoma in 1964.

A first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, Sayers burst upon the pro football scene in 1965 with the kind of an impact that the sport had not felt in many years. It is difficult to imagine a more dynamic debut than the one he enjoyed as a rookie. In his first heavy pre-season action, he raced 77 yards on a punt return, 93 yards on a kickoff return, and then startled everyone with a 25-yard scoring pass against the Los Angeles Rams.

A two-time All-American football player at KU. ... Served as assistant athletic director and assitant director of the Williams Educational Fund from 1972-76.

In regular season, he scored four touchdowns, including a 96-yard game breaking kickoff return, against the Minnesota Vikings. And, in the next-to-last game, playing on a muddy field that would have stalled most runners, Gale scored a record-tying six touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers. Included in his sensational spree were an 80-yard pass-run play, a 50-yard rush and a 65-yard punt return. For the entire season, Gale scored 22 touchdowns and 132 points, both then-rookie records.

Quiet, unassuming, and always ready to compliment a teammate for a key block, Sayers continued to sizzle in 1967 and well into the 1968 season. Then, in the ninth game, Sayers suffered a knee injury that required immediate surgery. After a tortuous rehabilitation program, Gale came back in 1969 in a most spectacular manner, winding up with his second 1,000-yard rushing season and universal Comeback of the Year honors.

But injuries continued to take their toll and, just before the 1972 season, Gale finally had to call it quits. In his relatively short career, he compiled a record that can never be forgotten. His totals show 9,435 combined net yards, 4,956 yards rushing, and 336 points scored. At the time of his retirement he was the NFL's all-time leader in kickoff returns. He won All-NFL honors five straight years and was named Offensive Player of the Game in three of the four Pro Bowls in which he played. He was also named the all-time NFL halfback in 1969.

Has the background for the job and the KUAC board was concerned about making sure minority candidates were considered for the men's basketball job, but would Sayers leave his computer services company for the rigors of being an AD?

Sayers, who now runs computer company Sayers Group in Chicago, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age 34, the youngest person ever selected. He returned to KU from 1972-76, serving as an assistant athletics director and assistant director of the Williams Education Fund. During that time Sayers earned his bachelor's degree and a master's degree in educational administration.

He then served as athletic director at Southern Illinois University from 1976-1981 and launched Sayers and Sayers Enterprises, a sports marketing and public relations firm, in Chicago.

Sayers gives back to KU (5-4-2002) Sayers added to Kansas AD committee (5-19-2001)

In 1984, Sayers and his wife, Ardythe, launched Sayers Group, a computer supplies firm, which now has locations across the United States.

In 1999, Sayers was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame, and was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. In addition, Kansas University School of Education recently unveiled the Gale Sayers Microcomputer Center.

Sayers serves on the Board of Directors of Triad Hospitals, Inc., which manages healthcare facilities in the south and southwestern United States and American Century Mutual Funds, located in Kansas City. He also is involved in a number of charities.

—Courtesy of KUathletics.com, Sayers Group and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.