Governor's Cup (Kansas)

The Governor's Cup is a trophy awarded to the victor of the annual college football game between the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, as part of the "Sunflower Showdown." It has been awarded every year since 1969.

Kansas State University leads the Cup series, with a 20-18-1 advantage. (Kansas forfeited a 1980 victory.) [cite news | title = Sports People | language = English | publisher = New York Times | date = August 27, 1982 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503EEDE1738F934A1575BC0A964948260 | accessdate =2006-12-30] The most recent game, played on October 6, 2007, was won by the University of Kansas by a score of 30-24.

The two teams had a very long history prior to the inauguration of the Governor's Cup: they began play in 1902 and have faced each other every season since 1911, making this the fourth-longest uninterrupted series in college football history. The University of Kansas built a large advantage in the series by 1923, and still leads the overall series, although the two schools disagree on the record. KU does not acknowledge its forfeit and says it leads the series 64-36-5, while Kansas State reports the record as 63-37-5. [cite press release | title = KSU-KU Postgame Notes | publisher = Kansas State University | date = November 18, 2006 | url = http://www.kstatesports.com/pdf3/52444.pdf?&KEY=BLITLGORZZCGHDK.20061113231920&ATCLID=693520&SPID=212&DB_OEM_ID=400&SPSID=3065 | accessdate =2006-12-30]

The Cup is actually the third trophy associated with the rivalry. In 1902, in the very first match-up, a "Governor's Trophy" was given to the winning team. Then, beginning in the 1940 football season, the winner of the KU-KSU contest received the "Peace Pact Trophy", which was miniature bronze goalposts. The Peace Pact Trophy was intended to keep the winning team's student body from tearing down the loser's goalposts. However, as years went by, both of these prior trophies were apparently forgotten.

Notable games

1969: The first game

Kansas State won the first contest in the Governor's Cup series 26-22 on October 11, 1969, in Lawrence, Kansas. The game was a classic in the series, contested by two high-quality teams. The University of Kansas was coming off an appearance in the Orange Bowl the previous season, while Kansas State in 1969 was an offensive juggernaut led by quarterback Lynn Dickey and running back Mack Herron. The game was not decided until the final play, when two K-State defenders jarred the ball loose from a KU receiver in the end zone. Following the game, Kansas State fans tore down the goalposts in KU's stadium (an act with a long history in the rivalry, and that K-State fans would repeat in 1994).

1980: The forfeit

On November 1, 1980, Kansas defeated Kansas State, 20-18, in Manhattan, Kansas, to take a commanding 9-3 lead in the first dozen years the Governor's Cup was awarded. However, it was later determined that Kerwin Bell, a running back for Kansas in that game, had been academically ineligible at the time. The NCAA later ordered Kansas to forfeit three conference wins and one tie from the 1980 season, including their victory in the 1980 Governor's Cup game. As a result, the two schools now dispute the overall record in both the Sunflower Showdown and more recent Governor's Cup series, with each school claiming the 1980 game as a victory.

1987: The Toilet Bowl

The one tie in the Governor's Cup series, which occurred on November 7, 1987, in Manhattan is the most infamous game in the history of the series. The game, which was termed "The Toilet Bowl" and "The Futility Bowl" by national commentators during the week leading up to it, featured a KU team with a 1-7 record and 0-8 K-State. The contest lived down to expectations and resulted in a 17-17 tie, which was secured when Kansas blocked a field goal at the end of the game. [cite news | title = Jayhawks, K-State Battle to 17-17 Deadlock | language = English | publisher = Lawrence Journal-World | date = November 8, 1987 | url = http://www2.kusports.com/news/1987/nov/08/jayhawks_kstate_battle_1717_deadlock/ | accessdate =2007-10-03] [cite news | title = Plunge Into History | language = English | publisher = Lawrence Journal-World | date = October 3, 2007 | url = http://www2.kusports.com/news/2007/oct/03/plunge_history/?football| accessdate =2007-10-03] Following the tie, both teams went on to lose their last two games of the season.

1995: Two ranked teams

The only match-up in history of the two teams while they were both ranked occurred on October 28, 1995, in Manhattan. [cite news | title = Showdown Comes With High Expectations | language = English | publisher = Topeka Capital-Journal | date = October 4, 2007 | url = http://cjonline.com/stories/100407/cat_205174726.shtml | accessdate =2007-10-05] The University of Kansas came into the game 7-0 and ranked #6 in the AP Poll, while Kansas State University was 5-1 and ranked #14. Both teams would finish the season ranked in the top ten, but this day belonged to Kansas State. KSU started strong and maintained the advantage throughout for a decisive 41-7 victory.

2004: The streak buster

An 11-year Kansas State winning streak was broken when KU won a back-and-forth 31-28 thriller in Lawrence on October 9, 2004. [cite news | title = At Last! | language = English | publisher = Lawrence Journal-World | date = October 10, 2004 | url = http://www2.kusports.com/news/2004/oct/10/at_last/ | accessdate =2007-10-03] This game represents an instance of the pupil besting his mentor, as Mark Mangino, head coach of the Jayhawks and former Wildcat assistant, defeating KSU top man Bill Snyder in his final visit to Memorial Stadium.

2007: Kansas wins in Manhattan

The Jayhawks entered the game 4-0 following their non-conference slate. Kansas State came in with a 3-1 record, but was favored in the contest, fresh off a 41-21 on-the-road upset of the Texas Longhorns and with a ranking of 24th in the AP Poll. The University of Kansas overcame several mistakes through the course of the first half, tying the contest 14-14 at halftime. Following a strong second-half performance by KU, the visitors from Lawrence posted a 30-24 victory. The game marked the Jayhawks' first win in Manhattan since 1989, but was also their third win in the last four games between the teams.

See also

* Aggieville Riots
* Kansas State Wildcats football

References