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Both Evans and Spencer easily cruised into the second round with shutout victories over their opponents; Evans took out Larry Brown while Spencer knocked out the wildcard Gil Reich.
This will be our first matchup of members of the Ring of Honor - this portion of the bracket is absolutely loaded.
(1) Ray Evans
Here we go again - one of the greatest overall athletes in Jayhawk history, Evans started on offense and defense, at quarterback and cornerback. He was a first team All-American in 1947 as a defensive back and a big part of leading the Jayhawks to the 1948 Orange Bowl.
Evans is the only player in NCAA history ever to lead the country in passing yards (as a QB) and INTs (as a CB) in the same year. He is the only Jayhawk to be first team All-American in both football (1947) and basketball (1943). He was a three-time first team All-Conference (Big Six) selection (1942, '46-'47) in football. He is still KU's single season and career leader in interceptions. He is one of five Jayhawks ever to be taken in the top 10 of the NFL Draft.
He is also one of five Jayhawks enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, and he is also memorialized in KU’s Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium.
(9) Oliver Spencer
As a sophomore, Spencer took over the left tackle spot from graduating senior Mike McCormack. Ollie would earn first team All-Big 7 honors in his junior and senior seasons of 1951 and 1952, as well as first team All-America honors in 1952.
Spencer was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the #73 overall pick of the 1953 NFL Draft. He would start for the Lions in his rookie year as they captured the 1953 NFL Championship. Ollie then spent the next two years away from the gridiron in the military before returning to the NFL in 1956. He would play 8 total seasons in the NFL with the Lions, Packers, and Raiders, and would later spend 17 years as an assistant coach for the Raiders.
He, too, is enshrined in Memorial Stadium along the Ring of Honor.
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Who was the greater Jayhawk? Register your vote in the comments below. Other matchups can be found here.