Greatest Kansas Football Players Bracket: Richard Estell vs Derek Fine

(6) Richard Estell

When you think of mid 1980’s Kansas football, who do you think of? Drawing a blank? How about wide receiver Richard Estell from Kansas City, Kansas. Over the course of Estell’s three-year career in Lawrence, he caught 117 passes for 1997 yards and eight touchdowns.

While his first two seasons were fine, Estell was brilliant in his final year at KU. In 1985, he grabbed 70 passes for 1109 yards and four scores. His receptions and yardage were the most in the Big Eight that season and his four touchdown receptions was second in the run heavy Big Eight. Those statistics made him a 1985 first team All-Conference selection.

Although he was never drafted into the NFL, Estell played two games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1987 as a replacement player during the NFL strike. Following that, Estell played three seasons for the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League.

(11) Derek Fine

As a tight end, Derek Fine’s statistics don’t exactly hop off the page at you, but make no mistake about it, he was a key contributor to some of KU’s best teams ever. He was used sparingly in his freshman season, but really started to blossom in KU’s 2005 Fort Worth Bowl season. He grabbed 22 catches that season. In 2006, he increased his productivity by grabbing 28 catches including five for touchdowns (he grabbed one in 2005).

And that magical 2007 season saw Fine at his best. He snagged 46 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns. Something should also be noted about a tight end’s ability to block in a system that flings the ball all over the field, but no statistics appear for that sort of thing.

He ended his career at KU with 98 catches for 1009 yards and ten TDs. He was drafted in the 4^th round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Buffalo Bills where he played two seasons, catching one touchdown pass.

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