Signature Game
Sept. 11, 1982 - In the first game between the state rivals in 36 years,
Wichita State stuns Kansas 13-10 on Prince McJunkins' 50-yard touchdown pass
to Don Dreher with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. The victory is coach
Willie Jeffries' biggest since taking over the program three seasons earlier.
The Jayhawks were coming off a 7-5 season, including a Hall of Fame Bowl appearance. Wichita State improves to 2-0 after going 4-6-1 the previous season.
"It was a great victory for the city of Wichita and Wichita State," Jeffries
said. "But more than that, it might have been a great victory for black head
coaches."
Trailing 10-0, the Shockers get two field goals before Dreher catches
McJunkins' pass at the 30 and dives over linebacker Elvis Patterson at the
goal line. "The only game I've ever cried over is the win against KU," McJunkins said.
Odds 'n' Ends
Deacon Jones, who became part of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome," was Jeffries' teammate at South Carolina State.
As a student at South Carolina State, Jeffries supplemented his scholarship
by working as a plasterer and bricklayer.
Jeffries' first job out of college entailed teaching ninth-grade algebra and
assisting the head football coach at Barr Street High School. His salary was
$3,100.
One of the girls in Jeffries' algebra class insisted he meet her sister, Mary. The two eventually met and were married less than a year later.
Jeffries and Mary have three children -- Valerie, Willie Jr. and Tamara.
Jeffries received a master's degree in counseling and guidance from South
Carolina State in 1966.
At North Carolina A&T, Jeffries sometimes ran the team because of illness to
the head coach.
As an assistant coach at Pitt for one season, Jeffries helped recruit a class that won the national championship in 1976.
South Carolina State's defense yielded only 29 points in finishing 10-1 in
1974.
Linebacker Harry Carson (Giants) and defensive back Donnie Shell (Steelers), are among the NFL players who played for Jeffries at South Carolina State.
Before Jeffries' predecessor at Wichita State, Jim Wright, took the job, the
position was offered to an African-American, John Merritt of Tennessee State.
Jeffries brought two assistants with him from South Carolina State to
Wichita State. One, Ben Blacknall, an African-American, became defensive
coordinator.
Jeffries coached against legend Bear Bryant in 1979; Alabama rolled to a
38-0 victory.
After leading Wichita State to an 8-3 record in 1982, Jeffries was a
candidate for the head-coaching vacancy at Army, but withdrew his name. Michigan State also contacted him that year about its head-coaching
position, but chose George Perles.
The 313 points scored by Wichita State in 1982 represented the team's
highest scoring output in 28 years.
Jeffries said he turned down numerous offers to become an assistant coach in
the NFL.
At Howard, Jeffries insisted upon an 11 p.m. curfew for his players and
conducted a bed check every night.
As a retirement gift, 100 former players presented him with a 2002 Ford
Taurus.
Jeffries is enshrined in the South Carolina State University Hall of Fame,
the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and the Mid-Eastern Athletic
Conference Hall of Fame.
