Raymond Richard Evans (September 22, 1922April 24, 1999) was an American football halfback. He was an All-American in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and a two time All-American in basketball at the University of Kansas and is considered possibly the greatest overall athlete to ever attend KU. In addition to his multi-sport prowess in college, Evans would go on to play professional football and basketball, and was even offered a contract to play baseball for the New York Yankees.

College career

Football

He played both halfback on

offense Offense or offence may refer to: Common meanings * Offense or crime, a violation of penal law * An insult, or negative feeling in response to a perceived insult * An attack, a proactive offensive engagement * Sin, an act that violates a known m ...

and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

at KU. During his 1947 All-American season, Evans led the Jayhawks to a Big Six Conference championship and an appearance in the Orange Bowl. He also holds the distinction as the only NCAA football player ever to lead the nation in

passing Passing may refer to: Social identity * Passing (sociology), presenting oneself as a member of another sociological group ** Passing (gender), presenting oneself as being cisgender ** Passing (racial identity), presenting oneself as a member ...

on offense and interceptions on defense in the same season. In fact, Evans is still the Jayhawks single-season (10) and career (17) leader in interceptions.

Basketball

Evans was also a standout guard on the basketball team where he played for the legendary Phog Allen. He was an All-American member of the 1943 conference championship team (which also featured

Charles B. Black Charles Bradford Black Jr. (June 15, 1921 – December 22, 1992) was an American professional basketball player and a four-time All-American at the University of Kansas. Black was also a decorated war hero. College career (1941–1943, 1945–1 ...

and

Otto Schnellbacher Otto Ole Schnellbacher (April 15, 1923 – March 10, 2008) was an American football safety and end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants. He was a twice Pro Bowler. Also a professional basketball player, Schnellbacher pla ...

) that is regarded as one of the greatest in the basketball program's proud history.

Professional career

Evans was drafted by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the

1947 BAA Draft The 1947 BAA draft was the 1st draft of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later became the National Basketball Association (NBA). The fledgling BAA held a joint draft with the established National Basketball League (NBL). Both le ...

1947 BAA Draft
/ref> but went on to play in the National Football League for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

(1948).

Legacy

Ray Evans is the only athlete at KU to have both his basketball jersey (15) and football jersey (42) retired. Ray's college athletic career was interrupted by three years of service with the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1964. Evans died in his home on April 24, 1999 from

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Ray 1922 births 1999 deaths American football halfbacks Guards (basketball) Kansas Jayhawks football players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players New York Knicks draft picks Second Air Force Superbombers football players Pittsburgh Steelers players All-American college men's basketball players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces soldiers Sportspeople from Kansas City, Kansas American men's basketball players