Border War Chronicles: The 1960 Controversy
By Joe Proszek
To celebrate perhaps the final game of the Border War, Zoulogy will present memories of the most important chapters in the history of the rivalry every day leading up to the game. Today’s installment: The game on Nov. 19, 1960, the forfeit controversy.
Mizzou came into this game heavily favored with a 9-0 record and a No. 1 national ranking. Led by halfback Donnie Smith’s 11 rushing touchdowns and quarterback Ron Taylor’s 121.7 quarterback rating for the season, the Tigers seemed poised to win their first national championship.
The only thing standing in the way was a Kansas Jayhawks football team who had recently fallen from the AP rankings and was eager for redemption and a shot at the Big 8 title.
Thanks to strong effort from the Kansas defensive stars Jim Jarrett and Rodger McFarland, Kansas upset the top ranked Tigers 23-7, securing the Big 8 championship and denying the Tigers their first national championship.
However, the win was short lived. On Dec. 8, following the season, the Big 8 rules on voting for player eligibility changed. Kansas quarterback Bert Coan was originally ruled eligible by the the NCAA and the Big 8 because the rules previously dictated that at least six of the eight teams in the conference were needed to rule a player ineligible, and Missouri only had the vote of five teams.
But Missouri coach Dan Devine helped convince the conference to change the rules to only need a majority vote. The conference voted 5-3 that because Kansas’s Bert Coan accepted a trip to an all-star game and other improper benefits from booster Bud Adams, Coan was ineligible and therefore Kansas had to forfeit its wins against Missouri and Colorado.
Unfortunately the ruling came too late to help Missouri, as they were forced to settle for an Orange bowl victory and the Minnesota Gophers were crowed champions.
The outcome of the game is still up for debate. Missouri counts the game as a victory for the Tigers and Kansas still counts the game as a victory for the Jayhawks.