The 1983 Kansas Jayhawks football team represented the University of Kansas in the Big Eight Conference during the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Mike Gottfried, the Jayhawks compiled a 4–6–1 record (2–5 against conference opponents), finished in seventh place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 320 to 296.^[1][2] They played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Jayhawks upset 10th ranked USC in Los Angeles 26–20 in what remains their only game against USC in school history.

The team's statistical leaders included Frank Seurer with 2,789 passing yards, Kerwin Bell with 498 rushing yards, and Bob Johnson with 1,154 receiving yards.^[3] Seurer, Mike Arbanas, Paul Fairchild, E. J. Jones, and Eddie Simmons were the team captains.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	Northern Illinois*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 34–37	26,000
September 10	at TCU*	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	T 16–16	27,244	[4]
September 17	Wichita State*	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	W 57–6	36,500	[5]
September 24	at No. 10 USC*	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 26–20	49,255
October 8	at Iowa State	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA	L 35–38	48,125
October 15	Kansas State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (rivalry)	W 31–3	49,300
October 22	Oklahoma State	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 10–27	31,300
October 29	at No. 14 Oklahoma	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 14–45	75,008
November 5	Colorado	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS	L 23–34	28,600
November 12	at No. 1 Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	L 13–67	76,503
November 19	No. 19 Missouri	Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS (Border War)	W 37–27	38,400
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game