A longtime Kansas assistant coach, Don Fambrough was elevated to head coach after the departure of Pepper Rodgers. During his first stint as head coach, Fambrough's only winning season was in 1973, when the Jayhawks finished the season 7–4–1 and made an appearance in the Liberty Bowl, a game they lost. That year, Kansas finished the season ranked No. 15 and No. 18 in the Coaches' and AP polls, respectively. However, when Kansas regressed to 4–7 in 1974 and the administration refused to renew his contract, Fambrough resigned.