The sports teams at the
University of KansasThe University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...
are known as the
Jayhawks. They participate in the
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
's
Division IDivision I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States....
and in the
Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. It is a member of the NCAA's Division I for all sports; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
. University of Kansas athletic teams have won ten total NCAA Division I championships, including three in men's basketball, one in men's cross country, three in men's indoor track and field, and three in men's outdoor track and field.
Men's sports
- Baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- Basketball
College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.-Division I:There are 347 schools in 32...
- Cross country
- Football
College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
- Golf
- Track and field
- Bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The wide, lane is bordered along its length by "gutters”— semicircular channels designed to...
Women's sports
- Basketball
College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.-Division I:There are 347 schools in 32...
- Cross country
- Golf
- Rowing
- Soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by teams operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- Softball
- Swimming and diving
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Volleyball
- Bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The wide, lane is bordered along its length by "gutters”— semicircular channels designed to...
The Jayhawk is a mythical cross between two common birds -- the noisy
blue jayThe Blue Jay is a passerine bird, and a member of the family Corvidae native to North America. It belongs to the "blue", Canadian or American jays, which are, among the Corvidae, not closely related to other jays...
and the quiet
sparrow hawkThe American Kestrel is a small falcon. This bird was colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implies a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated; the latter is an accipiter rather than a falcon...
.
The sports teams at the
University of KansasThe University of Kansas , the State of Kansas Flagship university , is a public research university with campuses located in Lawrence, Kansas City, and Overland Park, Kansas with the main campus being located atop Mount Oread in Lawrence...
are known as the
Jayhawks. They participate in the
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a voluntary association of about 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada...
's
Division IDivision I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States....
and in the
Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. It is a member of the NCAA's Division I for all sports; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
. University of Kansas athletic teams have won ten total NCAA Division I championships, including three in men's basketball, one in men's cross country, three in men's indoor track and field, and three in men's outdoor track and field.
Men's sports
- Baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
- Basketball
College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.-Division I:There are 347 schools in 32...
- Cross country
- Football
College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
- Golf
- Track and field
- Bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The wide, lane is bordered along its length by "gutters”— semicircular channels designed to...
Women's sports
- Basketball
College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.-Division I:There are 347 schools in 32...
- Cross country
- Golf
- Rowing
- Soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by teams operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- Softball
- Swimming and diving
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Volleyball
- Bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The wide, lane is bordered along its length by "gutters”— semicircular channels designed to...
Origins of "Jayhawk"
The Jayhawk is a mythical cross between two common birds -- the noisy
blue jayThe Blue Jay is a passerine bird, and a member of the family Corvidae native to North America. It belongs to the "blue", Canadian or American jays, which are, among the Corvidae, not closely related to other jays...
and the quiet
sparrow hawkThe American Kestrel is a small falcon. This bird was colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implies a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated; the latter is an accipiter rather than a falcon...
. The word came to prominence just before the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, in
Bleeding KansasBleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
, where it was adopted by militant abolitionist groups known as Jayhawkers. With the admission of Kansas as a
free stateFree state can refer to:* Free state , a loosely defined term used by various states at different times and places to describe themselves. Not all of them would fit with present-day defintions of "free", and some did not fit the definitions of the term current in their own time...
in 1861, Jayhawker became synonymous with the people of Kansas. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the "
Rock Chalk, Jayhawk"Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" is a chant used at University of Kansas Jayhawks sporting events. It is probably best known as being loudly chanted at basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse and football games at Memorial Stadium. Its lyrics are a refrain of "Rock chalk... Jay-Hawk... KU," repeated twice...
" chant in unison before and during games.
http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/chant.shtml
Conference championships & titles
Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. It is a member of the NCAA's Division I for all sports; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
champions have the best conference regular season record, and titles are awarded to the winner of the postseason championship tournament.
Men's Basketball
The Jayhawks have won 52 conference championships since their inception, an NCAA record. The Jayhawks have belonged to the
Big 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. It is a member of the NCAA's Division I for all sports; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
since it formed before the 1996–97 season. Before that, the Jayhawks have belonged to the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association from the 1907–08 to 1927–28 seasons, the Big Six Conference from 1928–29 to 1946–47, the Big Seven Conference from 1947–48 to 1957–58, the
Big Eight ConferenceThe Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri,...
from 1958–59 up until the end of the 1995–96 season. It should be noted that the Big Six and Big Seven conferences were actually the more often used names of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which existed under that official name until 1964, when it was changed to the Big Eight.
Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (13)
- 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927
Big Six Conference (12)
- 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946
Big Seven Conference (5)
- 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957
Big Eight Conference (13)
- 1960, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
Big 12 Conference (9)
- 1997 - Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion - coached by Roy Williams
Roy Allen Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging about an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
, won 87-60 over Missouri
- 1998 - Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion - coached by Roy Williams, won 72-58 over Oklahoma
- 1999 - Big 12 tournament champion - coached by Roy Williams, won 53-37 over Oklahoma State
- 2002 - Big 12 regular-season champion - coached by Roy Williams, was undefeated (16-0), lost the title game 64-55 to #2 seeded Oklahoma. Reached Final Four before losing to eventual National Champion Maryland.
- 2003 - Big 12 regular-season champion - coached by Roy Williams. Defeated in title game of the NCAA Tournament by Syracuse.
- 2005 - Big 12 regular-season co-champion with Oklahoma. Lost in Big 12 Tournament semi-final to 3 seed Oklahoma State. - coached by Bill Self
Bill Self is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2007-2008 NCAA national championship....
- 2006 - Big 12 regular-season co-champion with Texas and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 80-68 over #1 seeded Texas
- 2007
The 2006–07 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas Jayhawks for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2006–2007. The team was led by Bill Self in his fourth season as head coach...
- Big 12 regular season champion and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 88-84 in OT over #3 seeded Texas
- 2008
The 2007–08 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas for the NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball season of 2007–2008. The team was led by Bill Self in his fifth season as head coach. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence,...
- Big 12 regular season co-champion with Texas and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 84-74 over #1 seeded Texas
- 2009
The 2008-09 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, the Jayhawks' 111th basketball season. The Head Coach was Bill Self, serving his 6th year...
- Big 12 regular season champions - coached by Bill Self
Women's Basketball
- 1979 - Big 8 tournament champion
- 1980 - Big 8 tournament champion
- 1981 - Big 8 tournament champion
- 1987 - Big 8 regular season and tournament champion
- 1988 - Big 8 tournament champion
- 1992 - Big 8 regular season champion
- 1993 - Big 8 tournament champion
- 1996 - Big 8 regular season champion
- 1997 - Big 12 champion - coached by Marian Washington
Marian Washington is Kansas University’s former Women’s Basketball Coach. Marian’s longevity as KU Women’s Basketball Coach exceeded 30 years. Throughout her career, Marian achieved multiple awards and accomplishments which include: achieving membership in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame,...
Football
- 1892 Western Interstate University Football Association champion
- 1893 Western Interstate University Football Association champion (tie)
- 1895 Western Interstate University Football Association champion (tie)
- 1908 - MVIAA champion - coached by A.R. Kennedy, was undefeated (4-0; 9-0 overall)
- 1930 - Big 6 champion - coached by Bill Hargiss
- 1946 - Big 6 champion (tie) - coached by George Sauer
George H. Sauer was the head football coach at the University of Kansas from 1946 to 1947. Although he only coached two years, he compiled a 15-3-2 record. He attended the University of Nebraska where he played halfback. He coached at the University of New Hampshire from 1937 to 1942. He is also...
- 1947 - Big 6 champion (tie) - coached by Sauer
- 1968 - Big 8 champion (tie) - coached by Pepper Rodgers
Franklin C. "Pepper" Rodgers has been a head coach in college football, the United States Football League and the Canadian Football League. He was the head coach at University of Kansas, UCLA , and Georgia Tech, and an assistant at the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Florida...
Baseball
- 1922 - MVIAA champion
- 1923 - MVIAA champion
- 1949 - Big 7 Conference champion
- 2006 - Big 12 tournament champion - defeated Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Nebraska in the Conference playoffs.
Soccer
- 2004 - Big 12 regular season co-champion - coached by Mark Francis
Softball
- 2006 - Big 12 tournament champion - won 4-2 over Oklahoma and outscored opponents 13-3 in four games
Men's Indoor Track & Field
- 1922, 1923, 1934, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
Men's Outdoor Track & Field
- 1910, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982
Men's Cross Country
- 1928, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1969
Men's Golf
- 1999
Tennis
- 1979, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
National championships
Men's BasketballThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament held each spring featuring 65 college basketball teams. college basketball teams in the United States...
- 1922 Helms Basketball Champion - coached by Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American collegiate basketball coach known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching." His basketball career got off to an auspicious start as a University of Kansas letterman under James Naismith, the inventor of basketball...
- 1923 Helms Basketball Champion - coached by Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American collegiate basketball coach known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching." His basketball career got off to an auspicious start as a University of Kansas letterman under James Naismith, the inventor of basketball...
- 1952
The 1952 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 21, 1952, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington...
- coached by Phog AllenForrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American collegiate basketball coach known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching." His basketball career got off to an auspicious start as a University of Kansas letterman under James Naismith, the inventor of basketball...
, won 80-63 over St. John's
- 1988
The 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
- coached by Larry BrownLawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is the head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats.He has been a college and professional basketball coach since 1975...
, won 83-79 over Oklahoma-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...
- 2008
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
- coached by Bill SelfBill Self is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2007-2008 NCAA national championship....
, won 75-68 OT over MemphisThe Memphis Tigers basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers compete in Conference USA, in which they have won six regular season and four conference tournament championships...
in overtime
Men's Cross Country
- 1953
Men's Indoor TrackNCAA team champions for Men's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship-External links:*...
- 1966 - 1969 - 1970
Men's Outdoor TrackNCAA team championships for Men's Outdoor Track and Field-Division I:^ Arkansas was forced to vacate the NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005 because of recruiting violations...
- 1959 - 1960 - 1970
Men's Tenpin Bowling
- 2004 Intercollegiate Bowling Champions
BCS Bowls
- 2008 - Orange Bowl Champions; defeated Virginia Tech 24-21 - coached by Mark Mangino
Mark Thomas Mangino is the head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks college football team, which he has coached since 2002. In 2007, Mangino received several National Coach of the Year honors after leading the Jayhawks to their first 12-win season in school history...
Men's basketball
In Street & Smith's Annual list of 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time in 2005, KU ranked 4th. With the regular season finale victory in 2007 over the University of Texas, Kansas won its 1900th game. Only Kentucky and North Carolina have won more basketball games. On November 8th, 1988, KU became the first NCAA basketball champion to be barred from defending its title. This probation from the NCAA was the result of major violations largely involving illegal benefits provided to
Vincent AskewVincent Jerome Askew is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 1987 NBA Draft...
, a potential transfer recruit. The primary violation was the provision of a plane ticket home to see his sick grandmother.
Women's basketball
Kansas first fielded a women's team during the 1968-1969 season. For thirty-one seasons (1973-2004) the women's team was coached by
Marian WashingtonMarian Washington is Kansas University’s former Women’s Basketball Coach. Marian’s longevity as KU Women’s Basketball Coach exceeded 30 years. Throughout her career, Marian achieved multiple awards and accomplishments which include: achieving membership in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame,...
, who led the team to three Big Eight championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four
AIAWThe Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships. It evolved out of the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women . The association was one of the biggest...
Tournament appearances. The team's best post-season result was a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1998. Kansas is currently coached by Bonnie Henrickson who is in her 5th season.
2008 Football and Basketball Record
In the 2007-2008 football and basketball seasons, KU amassed a combined 49-4 record (12-1 football, 37-3 basketball), which is the most combined wins ever by a NCAA Division I program.
Rivalries
Since the inception of collegiate athletics at the University of Kansas, the main rival of Kansas has been the
University of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. The schools annually compete in the Border War. The historic rivalry between Kansas and Missouri dates back to the pre-Civil War days known as
Bleeding KansasBleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
, when pro-Slavery guerrillas from Missouri raided the anti-Slavery city of Lawrence in the
Sacking of LawrenceIn the summer of 1856, the Sacking of Lawrence helped ratchet up the guerrilla war in Kansas Territory that became known as Bleeding Kansas.-Background:...
. The rivalry further deepened and became more bloody during the Civil War when pro-Confederate guerrillas from Missouri again raided the pro-Union, anti-Slavery city of Lawrence in the Lawrence Massacre, killing between 185 and 200 men and boys. The rivalry between the two schools today has been described as one of the most intense in the nation.
Some consider
Kansas State UniversityKansas State University, officially named Kansas State University of Agriculture and Applied Science but commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
to be Kansas' other rival. The series between Kansas and Kansas State is known as the
Sunflower ShowdownThe Sunflower Showdown is the series of athletic contests between Kansas State University and the University of Kansas, most notably football and men's basketball. The name is derived from the official nickname for the state of Kansas: the Sunflower State...
.
A recent rival of Kansas, especially in basketball, has been the University of Texas. Since the two schools joined the same Conference in 1996, they have often competed for basketball dominance of the Big 12. Kansas and Texas met in the Big 12 Tournament final from 2006 through 2008, with Kansas winning all three.
Kansas and the University of Nebraska have the third longest uninterrupted series in football in the nation, dating back to 1892.
Notable athletes
- Bob Allison
William Robert "Bob" Allison was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played in the American League for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins from to . He was born in ....
, Major League Baseball player, Minnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. They have played in the Hubert H...
- Ferrell Anderson
Ferrell Jack Anderson , nicknamed "Andy", was a catcher in Major League Baseball.Anderson was signed by the New York Yankees in 1939 after spending four years as an all conference football tackle at the University of Kansas. He was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the Yankees system in 1942...
, Major League Baseball catcher, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball...
- Gilbert Brown
Gilbert Jesse "The Gravedigger" Brown, is a former Nose tackle who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was considered by many as one of the greatest run stuffers of his era. Brown played 125 Packers games recording 292 tackles and seven sacks...
, 10 year NFL defensive tackle, Green Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League and are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL.The Packers are the last vestige of "small town...
- Isaac Byrd
Isaac grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. In High School, he excelled at football, basketball, and baseball. In 1993 the St. Louis Post Dispatch named Isaac the best athlete to come out of the state of Missouri in the last 25 years...
, 6 year NFL wide receiver, Tennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the then-Houston, Texas, team began play in 1960 as a...
and Carolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, representing North Carolina and South Carolina in the National Football League. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain , nicknamed Wilt the Stilt, The Big Dipper, and Chairman of the Boards, was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; and also played for the Harlem Globetrotters...
, two-time All American, Final Four MVP, National Basketball Hall of Fame, Top 50 All Time Greatest NBA players
- Anthony Collins
Anthony Collins is an American football offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas....
, All-American, NFL player, offensive tackle for the Cincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Their first two seasons, 1968 and 1969, were as an American Football League franchise...
- Nick Collison
Nicholas John Collison is an American professional basketball player, currently a power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA, and well known in basketball circles for his accomplishments at the University of Kansas....
, NBA Player, former Team USA member, power forward for the Oklahoma City ThunderThe Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association with their home arena at Oklahoma City's Ford Center....
- Jon Cornish
Jon Cornish is a football running back who currently plays for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.-Collegiate career:...
, 2006 First Team All-Big 12, second round draft pick of the Calgary StampedersThe Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
- Nolan Cromwell
Nolan Neil Cromwell was an All-Pro safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and is the current offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University. Cromwell played for the Rams from 1977 through 1987 and was named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive years, 1980 through 1983...
, 1975 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro safety, Los Angeles RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team has won three NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl.The Rams began...
- Glenn Cunningham
Glenn V. Cunningham was an American distance runner and athlete considered by many the greatest American miler of all time. He received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1933.Cunningham set a world record for the mile and indoor world records for the...
, 2-time US Olympic Runner, Silver Medalist 1936 BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
OlympicsThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
, dominant runner of the 1930's
- Bobby Douglass
Robert Gilchrist Douglass is a former American football quarterback in the NFL, who played most of his career with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the second round of the 1969 NFL Draft. During his career, he also played for the San Diego Chargers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay...
, All-American QB, 13 year NFL player
- Drew Gooden
Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs...
, NBA Player, power forward for the San Antonio Spurs
- Charles Gordon
Charles Gordon may refer to:People:* Charles Gordon , American professional cornerback* Charles George Gordon , or "Chinese" Gordon, British army officer and colonial governor...
, NFL player, cornerback for the Minnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional football team based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings compete in the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . Prior to divisional realignment in 2002, they had been a member of the Central Division, also...
- John Hadl
John Willard Hadl is a former professional American football player.After playing halfback on both offense and defense at the University of Kansas as a sophomore, Hadl played quarterback for his last two years at Kansas, and was selected as the school's Player of the Century...
, two-time All-American, one year as a halfback and one year as quarterback; 16 year NFL player
- Justin Hartwig
Justin Hartwig is an American football center for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
, NFL player, center for the Carolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, representing North Carolina and South Carolina in the National Football League. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, holds distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid center
- Kirk Hinrich
Kirk James Hinrich is an American professional basketball player, currently backup point guard for the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He has also been a member of the USA National Team....
, Starting point guardPoint guard , also called the one or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position -- essentially, they are expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that it...
for the Chicago BullsThe Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
- Adrian Jones, NFL player, offensive lineman for the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans is a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The Texans joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion team after Houston's previous franchise,...
- Raef LaFrentz
Raef Andrew LaFrentz is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent.LaFrentz is a power forward and occasionally plays at center. He is known for his perimeter shooting ability and his shot blocking ability.-High school:Raef LaFrentz attended MFL MarMac High School...
, NBA Player, power forward for the Portland Trail Blazers.
- Danny Manning
Daniel Ricardo "Danny" Manning is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He is an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Manning won the National Championship with the Jayhawks in 1988 as a player, and...
, Basketball player and coach. Two-time All-AmericaAn All-American "team" is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific All-America and typically referred to as All-American athletes, or simply...
n 1988 recipient of the NaismithThe Naismith College Player of the Year award, named for basketball inventor James Naismith, is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to college basketball's top male and female player. The first award was given to Lew Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in 1969. The first women's...
and Wooden Awards, Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980's, 2-time NBA All-Star, National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of FameThe College Basketball Experience featuring the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is a fan interactive facility located in Kansas City, Missouri...
r.
- Curtis McClinton
Curtis McClinton is a former collegiate and professional American football player.McClinton attended Wichita High School North in Wichita, Kansas before attending the University of Kansas. A three-time All-Big Eight selection as a Jayhawk, McClinton led the team in rushing in 1959 and rushed for...
, three-time All-Pro running back, Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
- Mike McCormack, NFL Hall of Fame tackle. Former NFL head coach and GM.
- David McMillan
David McMillan is a professional American and Canadian football defensive end free agent. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, NFL player, linebacker for the Cleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are an American football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They play in the AFC North division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The original Cleveland Browns began play in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
- Billy Mills
William Mervin Mills or "Billy" Mills is the second Native American ever to win an Olympic gold medal. He accomplished this feat in the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics making him the only American ever to win the Olympic gold in this event.A former United States Marine, Billy Mills is...
, First American to win gold medal in the 10,000m run, 1964 Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games are a major international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in...
- Moran Norris
Torrance Moran Norris ; born June 16, 1978 in ) is an American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
, NFL player, fullback for the San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team. The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in Santa Clara...
- Al Oerter
Alfred Adolf Oerter, Jr. was an American athlete, four times Olympic Champion in the discus throw....
, Olympic gold medal discus throwThe discus throw is an event in track and field competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc — called a discus — in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
er in four consecutive OlympiadAn Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
s
- Rhino Page
Ryan "Rhino" Page is a left-handed bowler on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, and was the 2008 PBA Rookie of the Year. He is also a former U.S. Amateur champion, winning the event in 2005...
, MVP of the 2004 Intercollegiate Bowling Championships, now a 2-time titleist on the PBA TourThe Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
- Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce , nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the...
, NBA Basketball player, Boston Celtics starting SF, 2008 NBA Finals MVP, MVP of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998 NBA
- Willie Pless
Willie Pless was a star football linebacker in the Canadian Football League.Pless played his college football at the University of Kansas. As a Jayhawk starter for only three years he amassed an amazing 633 tackles...
, All-American LBA Linebacker is a position in American and Canadian football that was invented by football coach Fielding Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
, CFLThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located entirely in Canada.Its eight teams, which are located in eight cities, are divided into two divisions of four teams each . The league's nineteen-week regular season runs from mid-June to early November. Each team plays...
Hall of Famer, all-time tackling leader at KU and the CFL
- Scot Pollard
Scot L. Pollard is a retired American professional basketball player. In a ten-year NBA career, he played for five teams, spending the bulk of his career with the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. Pollard was well known both for his defensive play and his unique hairstyles...
, power forward for the Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a professional basketball club based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team is owned by Wycliffe Grousbeck and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the President of...
- Nick Reid
For the Congressional candidate in Wisconsin see Nick Reid Nicholas Gregory Reid was an American football linebacker who played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks. He signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on May 2, 2006...
, 2-time All-Big 12, 2005 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
- Steve Renko
Steve Renko, Jr. is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos , Chicago Cubs , Chicago White Sox , Oakland Athletics , Boston Red Sox , California Angels and Kansas City Royals .He helped the Angels win the 1982 American League Western...
, Major League Baseball pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
, California AngelsThe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The Angels have been based in Angel Stadium of Anaheim since 1966...
- John Riggins
Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.-Early life:Riggins was born in Seneca, Kansas and attended...
, NFL Hall of Fame running back, MVP of Super Bowl XVIISuper Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1982 regular season...
- Dave Robisch
David George Robisch is an American former professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu Fraternity...
, All-American forward, 2-time Big 8Big 8 or Big Eight may refer to:*Big 8 - the original 8 top-level hierarchies in the Usenet news group collection*Once the "Big eight" accounting firms in the United States, then became the "Big Six", is now the Big Four auditors....
Player of the Year, 13-year ABA/NBA player
- Jim Ryun
James Ronald Ryun is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda...
, World record holder in mile, Olympic silver medalist, former Congressman
- Tony Sands (often referred to as "Touchdown" Tony Sands or "Tuxedo" Tony Sands), All-American running back, 1991 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year
- Wes Santee
Wes Santee was an American middle distance runner and athlete who competed mainly in the 1,500 meters.Born in Ashland, Kansas, Santee was nicknamed the "Ashland Antelope." Santee attended high school in Ashland, where he set a state record in the mile run...
, American middle distance runner and athlete, 1952 Olympics
- Gale Sayers
Gale Eugene Sayers , also known as "The Kansas Comet", is a retired professional football player in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Chicago Bears....
, 2-time All American, NFL Hall of Fame running back, Chicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the NFC North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
- Wayne Simien
Wayne Anthony Simien, Jr. is an American former professional basketball player, who last played with Spain's Cáceres Ciudad de Baloncesto.He was a member of the 2005-06 NBA champions Miami Heat....
, 2-time All American, first-round draft pick by the Miami HeatThe Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena...
- Dana Stubblefield
Dana William Stubblefield is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. After graduating from Taylor High School in North Bend, Ohio, Stubblefield attended the University of Kansas....
, All-American, 3-time All-Pro defensive tackleDefensive tackle is a position on the defensive line in American and Canadian football. The defensive tackle lines up toward the center of the field, and is flanked by the defensive ends. With the defensive ends, they comprise the defensive line.Defensive tackles are typically the largest and...
, 1997 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- Aqib Talib
Aqib Talib is an American football cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers 20th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft...
, All-American, 2008 NFL Draft Pick, 1st round - Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are aprofessional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, joined the NFL in as expansion teams...
- Darnell Valentine
Darnell Terrell Valentine is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Kansas where he was a three-time Academic All-American and was a member of the 1980 Summer Olympics men's basketball team...
, All-American guard, 3-time Academic All-American, 9-year NBA player
- Jacque Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn is an American professional basketball player is a free agent point guard who most recently played for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA...
, All-American player, point guard for the San Antonio Spurs
- Rex Walters
Rex Andrew Walters is a retired American professional basketball player and current men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco.-Biography:...
, played on KU Final Four team in 1993, played seven years in NBA, current coach of the University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco is a selective, private, Jesuit university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco...
men's basketball team.
- Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White is an American former professional basketball player.-Life and career:White was born in St. Louis, Missouri...
, All-American guard, 12-year NBA player, member of two NBA champion teams, number retired by the Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a professional basketball club based in Boston, Massachusetts, playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team is owned by Wycliffe Grousbeck and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the President of...
- Gary Woodland
Gary Woodland is an American professional golfer. He earned his PGA Tour card by placing T-11 in the 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School Tournament. He is a two-time Kansas Amateur Champion and a NCAA All-American...
, professional golfer on the PGA TourThe PGA Tour is an organization that operates the main professional golf tours in the United States. It is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, a suburb of Jacksonville...
- Julian Wright
Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He played collegiately for the University of Kansas.-High school career:...
, 2007 NBA Draft Pick #13 - New Orleans Hornets
Athletic directors
James NaismithJames Naismith was a Canadian and naturalized American sports coach and innovator. Naismith invented the sport of basketball in 1891 and is often credited with introducing the first football helmet...
also served as athletic director in some fashion in the years prior to Hamilton. Hamilton is the first official athletic director.
- W.O. Hamilton - 1911-19
- Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American collegiate basketball coach known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching." His basketball career got off to an auspicious start as a University of Kansas letterman under James Naismith, the inventor of basketball...
- 1919-37
- Gwinn Henry
-Howard Payne University:Henry was the first head college football coach for the Howard Payne University Yellow Jackets located in Brownwood, Texas and he held that position for two seasons, from 1912 until 1913. His coaching record at Howard Payne was 5 wins, 7 losses, and 3 ties...
- 1938-42
- Karl Klooz - 1943 (interim)
- Ernie Quigley
Ernest Cosmos Quigley was a Canadian-American sports official who became notable both as a basketball referee and as an umpire in Major League Baseball....
- 1944-49
- Arthur Lonborg - 1950-63
- Wade R. Stinson - 1964-72
- Clyde Walker - 1973-77
- Bob Marcum - 1978-81
- Del Shankel - 1981 (interim)
- Jim Lessig - 1982
- Del Shankel - 1982 (interim)
- Monte Johnson - 1982-87
- Bob Frederick - 1987-2001
- Richard Konzem - 2001 (interim)
- Allen Bohl - 2001-03
- Drue Jennings - 2003 (interim)
- Lew Perkins
Lew Perkins is the Director of Athletics at the University of Kansas. Perkins joined KU in June 2003, taking over for Al Bohl...
- 2003-Present
Further reading
- University of Kansas Traditions: The Jayhawk
- Kirke Mechem, "The Mythical Jayhawk", Kansas Historical Quarterly XIII: 1 (February 1944), pp. 3–15. A tongue-in-cheek history and description of the Mythical Jayhawk.
External links