| Game Name: | Bluebonnet Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | December 16 |
| Year Game Played: | 1961 |
| Football Season: | 1961 |
| Home Name Short: | Rice |
| Home Nickname: | Owls |
| Home Record: | 7–3 |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Kansas |
| Visitor Nickname: | Jayhawks |
| Visitor Record: | 6–3–1 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | NR |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 15 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 13 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 8 |
| Us Network: | CBS |
| Type: | bg |
| Attendance: | 52,000 |
The 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Rice Owls and the Kansas Jayhawks.
This was the Owls' sixth bowl game in 14 years, and second in the year of 1961, having appeared in the Sugar Bowl in January, though they had lost the last two. This was the Jayhawks' first bowl game since 1948.
Rice was playing the game on its home turf, in the second annual Bluebonnet Bowl. Ken Coleman of Wichita ran for a 1 yard touchdown for Kansas, but the extra point fell short. Johnny Burrell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Randy Kerbow to give Rice a 7-6 lead. When Kansas was forced to punt later in the quarter, John Hadl mishandled the snap and ran 41 yards to give the Jayhawks crucial position. Coleman would score his second touchdown of the day to give Kansas a 12-7 lead at halftime. Rodger McFarland and Curtis McClinton both scored on rushing touchdowns on reverse plays to give Kansas a 25-7 lead by the fourth quarter, and McFarland scored his second touchdown in the fourth quarter to make the final score 33-7, giving Kansas their first ever bowl win.[1]
This would be the last bowl game for the Owls until 2006. The Jayhawks would return to a bowl game in 1969.
| Statistics | Kansas | Rice |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 21 | 11 |
| Yards Rushing | 293 | 58 |
| Yards Passing | 64 | 163 |
| Total Yards | 357 | 221 |
| Punts-Average | 3-37.0 | 6-31.0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 3 |
| Penalty Yards | 15 | 0 |