KANSAS JAYHAWKS

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.
'Men's sports'

★ Baseball

★ Basketball

★ Cross country

★ Football

★ Golf

★ Track and field
'Women's sports'

★ Basketball

★ Cross country

★ Golf

★ Rowing

★ Soccer

★ Softball

★ Swimming and diving

★ Tennis

★ Track and field

★ Volleyball
University of Kansas athletic teams have won nine total NCAA Division I championships, including two 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.

Contents

Origins of "Jayhawk"

Championships

Conference championships & titles

National championships

Basketball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Former players and coaches in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Women's basketball coaches

Football

Notable athletes

References

Further reading

External links

Origins of "Jayhawk"

The Jayhawk is a cross between two hunting 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. [1]

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]
Only Big 12 Conference Championships listed. Kansas has won a total 50 conference titles in Men's Basketball, more than any other college. 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.
: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 State. 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 - 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 Bill Self, won 88-84 in OT over #3 seeded Texas
;Women's Basketball^[2]
:1997 - Big 12 champion - coached by Marian Washington
;Football
: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^[3]
: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
;Men's Cross Country
:1953
;Men's Indoor Track
:1966 - 1969 - 1970
;Men's Outdoor Track
:1959 - 1960 - 1970

Basketball

Men's basketball

Main articles: Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball

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

★ Lynette Woodard, player and coach

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

Football

Main articles: Kansas Jayhawks football

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

★ Jacque Vaughn, All-American player, point guard for the San Antonio Spurs

★ Wilt Chamberlain, Basketball Hall of Fame

★ Nolan Cromwell, 1975 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, All-Pro safety, Los Angeles Rams

★ Wayne Simien, plays for the Miami Heat in the NBA

★ Scott 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 foward for the Cleveland Cavaliers

★ John Hadl, 2-time All-American, one year as a halfback and one year as quarterback; 16 year NFL player

★ Kirk Hinrich, Starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls

★ Raef LaFrentz, NBA Player, power forward for the Portland Trailblazers.

★ Nick Collison, NBA Player, former Team USA member, power forward for the Seattle Supersonics

★ Danny Manning, Basketball player and coach. 2-time All-American 1988 recipient of the Naismith and 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.

★ Billy Mills, First American to win gold medal in the 10,000m run, 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games

★ Al Oerter, Olympic gold medal discus thrower in four consecutive Olympiads

★ Paul Pierce, Basketball player. Averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at Kansas, earning MVP honors in 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

★ Dave Robisch, All-American forward, 2-time Big 8 Player of the Year, 13-year ABA/NBA player

★ Brandon Rush, 2-time All-Big 12

★ Jim Ryun, World record holder in mile, Olympic silver medalist, former Congressman

★ Tony Sands, All-American running bBack, 1991 Big 8 Offensive Player of the Year, held single-game rushing record (396 yds. vs Missouri) until 1999

★ 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

★ Rex Walters, played on KU Final Four team in 1993, played seven years in NBA, current coach of Florida Atlantic 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

★
'Notes'
1.
2.
3.

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.

★ Ryan Colaianni, "KU Bowl History", ''The University Daily Kansan'' (December 8, 2005).

External links

★ Kansas Athletics, the official KU Athletics site

★ Kansas.com, The ''Wichita Eagle's'' coverage

★ KUsports.com, The ''Lawrence Journal-World's coverage of KU sports