The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They participate in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big 12 Conference. 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.
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Men's sports
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Women's sports
- Basketball
- Cross country
- Golf
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and diving
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Volleyball
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Origins of "Jayhawk"
The Jayhawk is a cross between two common birds -- the noisy blue jay and the quiet sparrow hawk. The term came to prominence just before the Civil War, in Bleeding Kansas, where it was adopted by militant abolitionist groups known as Jayhawkers. With the admission of Kansas as a free state in 1861, Jayhawker became synonymous with the people of Kansas. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" chant in unison before and during games. [3]
Championships
Conference championships & titles
Big 12 Conference champions have the best conference regular season record, and titles are awarded to the winner of the postseason championship tournament.
- Men's Basketball[1]
The Jayhawks have won 51 conference championships since their inception. The Jayhawks have belonged to the Big 12 Conference 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 Conference 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.[2]
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 (8)
- 1997 - Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion - coached by Roy Williams, 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 final to 4 seed Oklahoma State. - coached by Bill Self
- 2006 - Big 12 regular-season co-champion with Texas and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 80-68 over #1 seeded Texas
- 2007 - Big 12 regular season champion and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 88-84 in OT over #3 seeded Texas
- 2008 - Big 12 regular season co-champion with Texas and tournament champion - coached by Self, won 84-74 over #1 seeded Texas
- Women's Basketball[3]
- 1997 - Big 12 champion - coached by Marian Washington
- 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
- 1947 - Big 6 champion (tie) - coached by Sauer
- 1968 - Big 8 champion (tie) - coached by Pepper Rodgers
- Baseball
- 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[4]
- 2006 - Big 12 tournament champion - won 4-2 over Oklahoma and outscored opponents 13-3 in four games
National championships
- Men's Basketball
- 1922 Helms Basketball Champion - coached by Phog Allen
- 1923 Helms Basketball Champion - coached by Phog Allen
- 1952 - coached by Phog Allen, won 80-63 over St. John's
- 1988 - coached by Larry Brown, won 83-79 over Oklahoma
- 2008 - coached by Bill Self, won 75-68 over Memphis in overtime
- Men's Cross Country
- 1953
- Men's Indoor Track
- 1966 - 1969 - 1970
- Men's Outdoor Track
- 1959 - 1960 - 1970
BCS Bowls
- 2008 - Orange Bowl Champions; defeated Virginia Tech 24-21 - coached by Mark Mangino
Basketball
Men's basketball
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Perhaps no program in the world has as many ties to the foundation and history of the sport as the University of Kansas. From Dr. James Naismith's early development, to Phog Allen's modernization of the game, to the team's enormous success in recent decades, Kansas basketball is interwoven to each step of the sport's identity.
The program has enjoyed considerable national success, having been selected Helms Foundation National Champions in 1922 and 1923, winning NCAA national championships in 1952, 1988, and 2008, playing in 13 Final Fours, and being regularly ranked in the AP Top 25 college basketball poll. The Jayhawks rank third all-time in NCAA Division I (behind Kentucky and North Carolina) with 1,943 wins (as of April 7, 2008), against only 785 losses (.712 winning %, 4th all-time). This record includes a 616-106 (.853) mark at historic Allen Fieldhouse. A perennial conference powerhouse, Kansas leads all universities with 51 regular-season conference titles in 100 years of conference play through the 2007-2008 regular season, two more than the second place Kentucky Wildcats. The Jayhawks have won a record eight conference titles and a record six conference tournament titles in the 12 years of the Big 12's existence. The program also owns the best Big 12 records in both those areas with a 158-34 record in conference play and a 25-6 record in tournament play. In Street & Smith's Annual list of 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time in 2005, KU ranked 4th.[5] 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 Askew, a potential transfer recruit. The primary violation was the provision of a plane ticket home to see his sick grandmother.[6]
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 Washington, who led the team to three Big Eight championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four AIAW Tournament appearances. The team's best post-season result was a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1996.
Former players and coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame
Women's basketball coaches
Head women's basketball coaches, including win-loss record and years coached:
- Marlene Mawson, (19-16), 1968-1971
- Debbie Artman, (9-8), 1971-1972
- Sharon Drysdale, (9-8), 1972-1973
- Marian Washington, (555-363), 1973-2004
- Bonnie Henrickson, (40-49), 2004-present
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 wins ever by a NCAA Division I program.[7]
Football
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KU football dates from 1890. While not a national powerhouse like the men's basketball team, the football team has had notable alumni including Gale Sayers, a two time All-American who later enjoyed an injury-shortened yet Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears; John Riggins, another Pro Football Hall of Famer with the Washington Redskins; Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Cleveland Browns, Mike McCormack; plus John Hadl, Dana Stubblefield, Bobby Douglass, and Nolan Cromwell. The Jayhawks have appeared three times in the Orange Bowl: 1948, 1969 and 2008. The team currently plays in Memorial Stadium (capacity 50,071), the first stadium built on a college campus west of the Mississippi River, which opened in 1921. It replaced McCook Field, which had been constructed in 1892. Mark Mangino, former Kansas State assistant coach, has coached the team since 2002. As of January 4, 2008, the program's overall record is 554-538-58 (.507).
The Jayhawks have two traditional archrivals. KU competes with the University of Missouri Tigers in the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football west of the Mississippi River, first played in 1891 and known as the "Border War." The name of the rivalry has since been officially rebranded as the "Border Showdown" following the advent of the Iraq War, although the historical name prevails in usage. Each year the winner of the game is awarded a traveling trophy, the Indian War Drum. Following the 2007 Border Showdown Kansas retired the current drum. In addition, KU has a rivalry with the Kansas State Wildcats called the Sunflower Showdown; when the two teams compete in football, the winner is awarded the Governor's Cup by the governor of Kansas.
Kansas has also played an annual game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers since 1905. This gives Kansas the second- and third-most played college football games in existence. KU is only 23-88-3 all-time against the Cornhuskers (as of 2007), and from 1969-2004 the Huskers rang up 36 consecutive victories, second longest in NCAA Division I (only Notre Dame's streak over Navy was longer). That streak ended on November 5, 2005, when Kansas defeated Nebraska 40-15 in Lawrence. They also beat Nebraska 76-39 in Memorial Stadium on November 3, 2007. This was the largest number of points ever surrendered by a Nebraska team; the Jayhawks also set records for most points against Nebraska in a half (1st half, 48 points) and quarter (2nd quarter, 27 points). The 95 points scored by the Jayhawks in 2006 and 2007 combined is the largest consecutive two-year total in the series. Also, the 32 points scored in an overtime loss at Nebraska on September 30, 2006, was the most by any Jayhawk team in Lincoln since 1899, when KU won 36-20 in the two teams' eighth all-time meeting.[8]
Rivalries
Since the inception of collegiate athletics at the University of Kansas, the main rival of Kansas has been the University of Missouri. The schools annually compete in the Border War. The historic rivalry between Kansas and Missouri dates back to the Civil War, when pro-Confederate guerillas from Missouri raided the abolitionist city of Lawrence. The rivalry between the two schools today has been described as one of the most intense in the nation.[9]
Kansas' in-state rival is Kansas State University. The series between Kansas and Kansas State is known as the Sunflower Showdown.
A recent rival of Kansas, especially in basketball, has been the University of Texas.[10] Since the two schools joined the same Conference in 1996, they have often competed for basketball dominance of the Big 12. Texas and Kansas have met the last three years in the Big 12 Tournament, 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, Major League Baseball player, Minnesota Twins
- Ferrell Anderson, Major League Baseball catcher, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals
- Gilbert Brown, 10 year NFL defensive tackle, Green Bay Packers
- Wilt Chamberlain, Basketball Hall of Fame
- Nick Collison, NBA Player, former Team USA member, power forward for the Seattle Supersonics
- Jon Cornish, 2006 First Team All-Big 12, second round draft pick of the Calgary Stampeders
- Nolan Cromwell, 1975 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro safety, Los Angeles Rams
- Wayne Simien, first-round draft pick by the Miami Heat
- Scot Pollard, power forward for the Boston Celtics
- Glenn Cunningham, 2-time US Olympic Runner, Silver Medalist 1936 Berlin Olympics, dominant runner of the 1930's
- Bobby Douglass, All-American QB, 13 year NFL player
- Drew Gooden, NBA Player, starting power forward for the Chicago Bulls
- Charles Gordon, NFL player, cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings
- John Hadl, 2-time All-American, one year as a halfback and one year as quarterback; 16 year NFL player
- Justin Hartwig, NFL player, center for the Carolina Panthers, holds distinctin of being the NFL's highest paid center
- Kirk Hinrich, Starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls
- Adrian Jones, NFL player, offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs
- Raef LaFrentz, NBA Player, power forward for the Portland Trailblazers.
- Danny Manning, Basketball player and coach. 2-time All-American 1988 recipient of the Naismith & Wooden Awards, Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980's, 2-time NBA All-Star
- Curtis McClinton, 3-time All-Pro running back, Kansas City Chiefs
- Mike McCormack, NFL Hall of Fame tackle. Former NFL head coach and GM.
- David McMillan, NFL player, linebacker for the Cleveland Browns
- Billy Mills, First American to win gold medal in the 10,000m run, 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
- Moran Norris, NFL player, fullback for the San Francisco 49ers
- Al Oerter, Olympic gold medal discus thrower in four consecutive Olympiads
- Paul Pierce, 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, All-American LB, CFL Hall of Famer, all-time tackling leader at KU and the CFL
- Nick Reid, 2-time All-Big 12, 2005 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year
- Steve Renko, Major League Baseball pitcher, California Angels
- John Riggins, NFL Hall of Fame running back, MVP of Super Bowl XVII
- Dave Robisch, All-American forward, 2-time Big 8 Player of the Year, 13-year ABA/NBA player
- Jim Ryun, World record holder in mile, Olympic silver medalist, former Congressman
- Tony Sands, All-American running back, 1991 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year
- Wes Santee, American middle distance runner and athlete, 1952 Olympics
- Gale Sayers, 2-time All American, NFL Hall of Fame running back, Chicago Bears
- Dana Stubblefield, All-American, 3-time All-Pro defensive tackle, 1997 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- Darnell Valentine, All-American guard, 3-time Academic All-American, 9-year NBA player
- Jacque Vaughn, All-American player, point guard for the San Antonio Spurs
- Rex Walters, played on KU Final Four team in 1993, played seven years in NBA, current coach of the University of San Francisco men's basketball team.
- Jo Jo White, All-American guard, 12-year NBA player
- Julian Wright, 2007 NBA Draft Pick (#13 - New Orleans Hornets)
References
- Falkenstien, Max; as told to Doug Vance (1996). Max and the Jayhawks: 50 years on and off the air with KU Sports. Wichita, Kansas: The Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Company, Inc.
Notes
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
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