LAWRENCE, Kan. – Three legendary Jayhawks - John Hadl, Gale Sayers and Mike McCormack were named to the East-West Shrine Bowl All-Century Team on Tuesday, as part of the East-West Shrine Bowl 100-year celebration at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is celebrating its 100th year in 2025 and is the longest-running college all-star football game in the nation. The 100-year celebration features an exhibit and panel discussion at the College Football Hall of Fame taking place on Tuesday, as well as the East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame on Jan. 29, 2025, culminating in the 100th East-West Shrine Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 30, 2025. For more information on the East-West Shrine Bowl, click here.
Hadl and Sayers are members of the College Football Hall of Fame, while Sayers and McCormack are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. All three played legendary careers at the University of Kansas, where they are all members of the Kansas Football Ring of Honor.
An inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame (1994), Hadl was the first Kansas player to be picked twice for All-America honors (1960 and 1961). He was also named the Most Valuable Player of both the East-West Shrine game and the College All-Star game after the 1961 season.
Hadl then enjoyed a successful 16-year career as a professional quarterback, most notably with the San Diego Chargers. A six-time Pro Bowler, he played in three American Football League Championship games and was named National Football Conference Player of the Year in 1973. He was named the 1971 National Football League Man of the Year and is a member of the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame. Hadl was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft.
Sayers, the "Kansas Comet," established himself throughout his collegiate and professional career as one of the great running backs in the history of football. A two-time All-America selection for the Jayhawks, Sayers concluded his KU career with 2,675 yards rushing and 3,917 all-purpose yards. Sayers led KU in rushing, touchdowns and kickoff returns all three years he was in the lineup. He also led the team in receiving and punt returns as a junior and senior.
Sayers became the first player in NCAA Division IA history to record a 99-yard run when he broke loose against Nebraska in Lincoln during the 1963 season. He also had a 96-yard kickoff return in a 15-14 upset of Oklahoma his senior season. Sayers was a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears (and Kansas City Chiefs). He led the league in rushing in 1966 and 1969. He retired in 1972 with a career total of 4,956 rushing yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age 34, the youngest person ever selected.
McCormack, one of KU's greatest offensive tackles, was named an All-Big Seven lineman as a junior and senior and was a member of the league's all-sophomore team in 1948. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. He began his pro football career with the NFL's 1951 New York Yanks, where as a rookie he earned the starting right tackle spot. That year he earned the first of six trips to the Pro Bowl, before being called into military service.