Ernie Fletcher - C/O 1926

Ernie Fletcher ripped off 9, 50+ yard runs his senior season in just 8 games of action. A record that stands a century later. His 10 runs of 40+ yards were only surpassed by D. Reddick (12) nearly a century later. 

Ernie Fletcher (c/o 1926) played football for the Braves from 1922 to 1925 under one of the greatest head coaches of all time at CG, E.R. Sonnenberg.

Fletcher was the only Brave to ever receive Kansas Top-11 honors and First Team All-State honors twice in his career. He accomplished this at the halfback and fullback positions. For his senior season efforts, the Wichita newspaper called him the “Red Grange of Kansas.” For reference as to how big of a compliment this was/is, ESPN voted Red Grange as the 6th best player in the history of all of college football as of 2020, and Sporting News voted him the 5th best running back ever as well. Red also eventually was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Ernie Fletcher’s big-play ability is what garnered this comparison, as he was known as one of the most lethal open-field runners in the state of Kansas during the 1920s. His track times during the 1920s show this too, as Fletcher was capable of running a 10.2s 100-yard dash, a 23.0s 220-yard dash, and a 52.0s 440-yard dash.... all on a dirt track! These track records would have stood for nearly half a century. His efforts earned him the honor of being named the best player in Kansas by many for the 1925 season. He also captained one of the best 4-year stretches of Braves team success as he led them to 26 victories during his 4 varsity seasons.

Here are some crazy statistics, for the time, that Ernie had during his junior and senior seasons.

Senior Year  - 1925 (8 games):

1,307 All-Purpose Yards

925 Rushing Yards

11 Touchdowns

76 Points

Junior Year - 1924 (10 games):

1,355 All-Purpose Yards (11th All-Time)

900 Rushing Yards

17 Touchdowns (T-7th All-Time)

102 Points (9th All-Time)

While Fletcher does not hold any school records to date, he was the originator of nearly all the Braves’ records. He appears in the top 10 of every career rushing and all-purpose yardage record for his junior and senior seasons alone. Most stats from his 1922 and 1923 freshman/sophomore seasons are missing. Both were years in which he started. He was even the captain of the team during his sophomore season (1923). It is estimated that he would be in the top 2 or 3 in rushing yards, all-purpose yards, rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and points if those statistics could be found. Media honors-wise, no CG player has ever accomplished what Ernie did back in the mid-1920s.

Fletcher went on to play briefly for Kansas State, starting at quarterback for the freshmen squad of 1926.