Omaha, Neb. ? Former Kansas University football standout Gale Sayers will be the Omaha Press Club’s next “Face on the Barroom Floor” when he is recognized Jan. 17 in a roast at the club.
The “Faces” are caricatures of newsmakers. Sayers will be the 94th honoree since 1971.
Longtime Omaha sportscaster Jack Payne will serve as emcee at the event. Roasters will include Tom Osborne, former head football coach of the University of Nebraska; Gale’s brother, Roger Sayers; attorney Don Fiedler, who played with Sayers at Omaha Central High School; Fred Abboud, former coach of the 1955 Midget football team that featured both Gale and Roger Sayers; and Richard Nared, a life-long friend of Sayers.
Sayers was a two-time All-America running back at KU. From 1965 to 1971, he played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, earning rookie-of-the-year honors in 1965 when he scored a then-record 22 touchdowns. He led the NFC in rushing in 1966 and 1969 and was named All-Pro five times.
