64 Days: The Best Tournament, Second Round, Games 13 and 14

We're on to round two of our The Best tourney where four legends enter but only two move on.

This summer, we have started a new knockout tournament featuring the greats of Kansas football. We’re in full swing into the second round, so click here to see the first two matchups of the second round and follow the links to the next two. 

Second Round Matchups

1. 4 John Riggins vs 13 John Zook
2. 5 Willie Pless vs 12 Kerry Meier

As you probably know by now, you have a voice in all of this competition as well. You can vote on our social media accounts, and your vote will be equal to the vote of each of our contributors. We will continue down this path until we have determined who is the best player to ever take the field at Kansas Memorial Stadium.

4 John Riggins vs 13 John Zook

John Riggins, 1968-1970.

One of the most recognizable names in the history of Kansas football, John Riggins was a hard running machine.  He still ranks eighth on KU’s all-time rushing yardage list and his 1,131 yards in 1970 is still good for the sixth best in a single season at Kansas. Riggins was the 6th overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft where he was taken by the New York Jets.  On his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, John Riggins ran for 11,352 yards, had 2,090 yards receiving, and scored 116 touchdowns over a fifteen year NFL career with New York and Washington. All of this earned Riggins the number four seed and a first round bye in our tournament. 

John Zook, 1966-1968.

The staff at Blue Wings Rising and the fans have chosen John Zook as the winner in the first round matchup against Larry Brown. It was a clean sweep for the Larned, Kansas native.

The big defensive end finished his Kansas career with 202 tackles. Zook was a two time all-conference performer and was an All-American in his final season at Kansas, one that culminated in a trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami. Zook played eleven seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Cardinals. He was named to the All-Pro team in 1973.

5 Willie Pless vs 12 Kerry Meier

Willie Pless, 1982-1985.

Our fifth seed, and an absolute tacking machine, Willie Pless is the all time leader in this category, and it’s not particularly close.  Pless finished with 633 tackles and the next highest total is 416. Pless also holds the record for most tackles in one season. In fact, he has the three highest totals in KU history with 206 in 1984, 191 in 1985, and 188 in 1983. Pless also recorded three games with more than 20 tackles including a KU record 25 in one game against Oklahoma State in 1984.

Kerry Meier, 2006-2009.

The staff at Blue Wings Rising and the fans have unanimously chosen Kerry Meier as the winner in his first round matchup against Curtis McClinton. Now he moves on to face Pless, and this just might be the best matchup in the entire second round. We all know what happens with 5/12 matchups in the Big Dance. Could it happen here too?

Highly recruited quarterback turned wide reciever Kerry Meier holds the KU career receptions mark at 226 and is in possession of the top two seasons in Kansas history in catches made at 102 and 97 in 2009 and 2008 respectively. He also has the most receptions in a single game for the Jayhawks at 16 against Iowa State in 2009. Kerry’s 2,309 yards receiving is the third highest in Kansas history as well. No Jayhawk fan will ever forget the Reesing to Meier combo in what many would call the most magical few years in KU football history.

Here’s a look at the updated side of the bracket:

Remember to vote on X (twitter), Threads, and Instagram and keep checking the site as the tournament continues toward the business end.