Kansas Jayhawks

The sports teams at the University of Kansas (KU), in Lawrence, Kansas, are known as the Jayhawks. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference. University of Kansas athletic teams have won ten 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
 * Basketball
 * Football
 * Cross country
 * Golf
 * Track and field
 * Baseball


 * Women's sports
 * Basketball
 * Cross country
 * Golf
 * Rowing
 * Soccer
 * Softball
 * Swimming and diving
 * Tennis
 * Track and field
 * Volleyball

Origins of "Jayhawk"
The origin of the term "Jayhawk" (short for "Jayhawker") is uncertain. The term was adopted as a nickname by a group of emigrants traveling to California in 1849. The origin of the term may go back as far as the Revolutionary War, when it was reportedly used to describe a group associated with American patriot John Jay.

The term became part of the lexicon of the Missouri-Kansas border in about 1858, during the Kansas territorial period. The term was used to describe militant bands nominally associated with the free-state cause. One early Kansas history contained this succinct characterization of the jayhawkers:


 * “Confederated at first for defense against pro-slavery outrages, but ultimately falling more or less completely into the vocation of robbers and assassins, they have received the name --- whatever its origin may be -- of jayhawkers.”

Another historian of the territorial period described the jayhawkers as bands of men that were willing to fight, kill, and rob for a variety of motives that included defense against pro-slavery "Border Ruffians", abolition, driving pro-slavery settlers from their claims of land, revenge, and/or plunder and personal profit.

In September 1861, the town of Osceola, Missouri was burned to the ground by Jayhawkers during the Sacking of Osceola. On the 150th anniversary of that event in 2011, the town asked the University of Kansas to remove the Jayhawk as its mascot.

Over time, proud of their state's contributions to the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union, Kansans embraced the "Jayhawker" term. The term came to be applied to people or items related to Kansas. When the University of Kansas fielded their first football team in 1890, the team was called the Jayhawkers. Over time, the name was gradually supplanted by its shorter variant, and KU’s sports teams are now almost exclusively known as the Jayhawks. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk" chant in unison before and during games. In the traditions promoted by KU, the jayhawk is said to be a combination of two birds, “the blue jay, a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests, and the sparrow hawk, a stealthy hunter.”

The link between the term “Jayhawkers” and any specific kind of mythical bird, if it ever existed, had been lost or at least obscured by the time KU’s bird mascot was invented in 1912. The originator of the bird mascot, Henry Maloy, struggled for over two years to create a pictorial symbol for the team, until hitting upon the bird idea. As explained by Mr. Maloy, “the term ‘jayhawk’ in the school yell was a verb and the term ‘jayhawkers’ was the noun.” KU’s current Jayhawk tradition largely springs from Frank W. Blackmar, a KU professor. In his 1926 address on the origin of the Jayhawk, Blackmar specifically referenced the blue jay and sparrow hawk. Blackmar’s address served to soften the link between KU’s athletic team moniker and the Jayhawkers of the Kansas territorial period, and helped explain the relatively recently invented Jayhawk pictorial symbol with a myth that appears to have been of even more recent fabrication.

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. In all sports combined (as of May 2011) the Jayhawks have won total of 162 conference titles all-time, 24 championships since joining the Big 12. Note that approximately 1/3 of those are from the Men's basketball team.

The Jayhawks have won or shared an NCAA record 55 conference championships since they joined their first conference in 1907. 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.
 * Men's Basketball

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 (13)
 * 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

In addition to the 55 Conference Championships, the Jayhawks have also captured 25 Conference Tournament Championships
 * 1951, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011


 * 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


 * 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
 * 1921 – MVIAA champion
 * 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 Basketball
 * 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


 * Men's Tenpin Bowling
 * 2004 Intercollegiate Bowling Champions

BCS Bowls

 * 2008 – Orange Bowl Winners; Defeated Virginia Tech 24–21 – coached by Mark Mangino

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, and is also one of only 2 college sports programs to win a BCS Bowl game and a College Basketball National Championship in the same sports season, the other was the 2006-2007 Florida Gators who won the BCS national championship and their second consecutive basketball national championship.

Men's basketball
The Jayhawks men's basketball program is one of the most successful and prestigious programs in the history of college basketball. The Jayhawks' first coach was the inventor of the game, James Naismith. The program has produced some of the game's greatest professional players (including Clyde Lovellette, Wilt Chamberlain, Jo Jo White, Paul Pierce and Mario Chalmers) and most successful coaches (including Phog Allen, Adolph Rupp, Ralph Miller, Dutch Lonborg, John McLendon, Larry Brown and Dean Smith). 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 14 Final Fours, and is one of only three programs to win more than 2,000 games. In Street & Smith's Annual list of 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time in 2005, KU ranked 4th.

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, one Big 12 Championship, six conference tournament championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four AIAW 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 6th season.

Football
KU began playing football in 1890. 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 and Super Bowl XVII MVP with the Washington Redskins; Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Cleveland Browns, Mike McCormack; plus John Hadl, Curtis McClinton, 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 seventh oldest college football stadium in the nation, which opened in 1921. The team is currently led by head coach Charlie Weis.

Baseball
Kansas baseball began in 1880 and has produced notable players such as Bob Allison and Steve Renko. The team has appeared in four NCAA tournaments (1993, 1994, 2006, 2009) and one College World Series (1993).

Rugby
Founded in 1964, Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club plays college rugby in the Division 1 Heart of America conference against its many of its traditional Big 8 / Big 12 rivals such as Kansas State and Missouri. Kansas finished the 2011 year ranked 24th. Kansas rugby has embarked on international tours since 1977, playing in Europe, New Zealand and Argentina. The team plays its matches at the Westwick Rugby Complex, which was funded by $350,000 in alumni donations. Kansas often hosts the annual Heart of America sevens tournament played every September, the winner of which qualifies for the USA Rugby sevens national championship.

Kansas State Wildcats (Sunflower Showdown)
Main Article: Sunflower Showdown

Kansas State University is Kansas' in-state rival. The series between Kansas and Kansas State is known as the Sunflower Showdown.

Other Big 12 rivalries
Besides Kansas State, Kansas has other rivals, mostly in basketball, within and without the Big 12 Conference.

Texas Longhorns
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, and again in 2011, with Kansas winning all four. It was Texas who broke Kansas' school- and conference-record 69-game homecourt winning streak in January 2011.

Oklahoma Sooners
Kansas and Oklahoma have a rivalry in basketball, though this rivalry has diminished in stature in recent years. The rivalry peaked in the 1980s, when Billy Tubbs coached the Sooners.

In 1984, the Sooners took a 92-82 overtime decision over the Jayhawks in Lawrence to clinch the Big Eight title. The Sooners taunted the Jayhawks and cut down the Allen Fieldhouse nets. A few weeks later, Kansas exacted revenge in the finals of the Big Eight Tournament, pulling off a 79-78 upset of OU.

The most memorable clash between the two teams came in 1988. Oklahoma, which had defeated Kansas twice during the regular season, met the Jayhawks again in the NCAA National Finals in Kemper Arena. The Jayhawks won the NCAA title with an 83-79 victory, fueled by Danny Manning's 31-point, 18-rebound effort.

The rivalry was briefly revived in the early 2000s, when Kelvin Sampson put together his best Sooners teams. The Sooners knocked off the Jayhawks in the 2002 Big 12 Tournament finals - this after KU had gone 16-0 against conference opponents. In 2006, a young Kansas team overcame a 16-point deficit to beat Oklahoma 59-58. Since then, the rivalry has gone dormant, as Oklahoma has not fielded as powerful basketball teams as they formerly did. Kansas has not lost to Oklahoma since the 2005 season, Sampson's penultimate season as OU coach.

Oklahoma State Cowboys
A rivalry with Oklahoma State goes back to the early days of basketball, when Kansas coach Phog Allen and Oklahoma A&M coach Hank Iba were two of the top coaches in basketball. It has been described as a "fierce-but-friendly" rivalry. The rivalry declined after Iba's retirement from OSU, but was revived by Eddie Sutton, who regularly challenged Kansas for Big Eight titles in the early 1990s. Though OSU has not been the national power they were under Eddie Sutton, they have given Kansas trouble in recent years, upsetting the Jayhawks in Stillwater in 2008 and 2010. Current KU coach Bill Self is an OSU alumnus.

Non-conference
Kansas has some important non-conference rivalries as well.

Kentucky Wildcats
Kansas and Kentucky are the two winningest programs in college basketball. Kentucky draws on its basketball success from legendary coach Adolph Rupp, a Kansas alum who played for Phog Allen in the 1920s.

Kansas and Kentucky were annual opponents in the 1970s through the mid-1980s. Kentucky won 16 of the first 17 matchups with Kansas, including 11 straight from 1974 to 1984. Kansas broke that losing streak with an 83-66 victory over the Wildcats in December 1985, en route to a 35-win season and the 1986 NCAA Final Four.

Since then, the rivalry has been played infrequently, but when it has been played it has usually commanded national attention. Perhaps the most memorable game in the series came in December 1989, when #2-ranked Kansas rolled to a 150-95 victory over Rick Pitino's first Kentucky team, which had been decimated by NCAA probation for major violations. Kansas gained some ground in the rivalry in the mid-2000s, when Kansas earned its first victory over Kentucky in Lexington in 2005, 65-59. The following year, the first meeting between the two teams in Allen Fieldhouse since the 1989 game, Kansas again routed Kentucky 73-46. The next season, the two teams met in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament, and Kansas routed Kentucky again, 88-71, in Tubby Smith's final game as UK coach.

In the two most recent matchups, the two teams first met in Madison Square Garden in New York City for the Champions' Classic, and UK defeated KU 75-65. They also met up in the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship game. Kentucky defeated Kansas 67-59.

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Kansas 21-6.

Arizona Wildcats
Although Kansas and Arizona had met in previous seasons, this rivalry was born with the 1997 NCAA Tournament, when the two teams met in the Sweet Sixteen. Kansas, the #1-seed in the Southeast Region, entered the game 34-1 and ranked #1 in the nation. But Arizona pulled a shocking 85-82 upset, en route to upsetting three #1-seeds and the 1997 NCAA title.

Since then, Kansas and Arizona have had something of a rivalry, playing each other every now and then. The two teams played another memorable game in the 2003 NCAA Elite Eight. Arizona had already defeated Kansas earlier that season 91-74 in Lawrence. But Kansas got revenge, beating the Wildcats 78-75 to advance to the Final Four. The Jayhawks would finish as national runners-up that year.

Kansas leads the all-time series with Arizona 8-4.

UCLA Bruins
Kansas and UCLA have been on-and-off rivals since the 1960s, when UCLA was beginning its dominance of college basketball. UCLA leads the all-time series with Kansas 10-7, but Kansas is 7-2 against UCLA since 1995. Kansas earned its first-ever victory over UCLA in December 1995, when the two teams met in Allen Fieldhouse. KU fell behind 41-22 in the first half and trailed 41-26 at the half. But the Jayhawks made a defensive switch to a 2-3 zone to stifle UCLA, fueling a giant comeback that resulted in an 85-70 KU win. The 19-point deficit tied for largest deficit any KU team had ever overcome in a victory, a record that would stand until 2007, when they overcame a 32-10 deficit against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament finals to win 88-84 in overtime.

UCLA has had its share of highlights, however. In January 2002, the Bruins upset #1-ranked KU 87-77 in Pauley Pavilion. And Kansas has never beaten UCLA in an NCAA Tournament game. When the two teams met in the 2007 NCAA Elite Eight, UCLA defeated KU 68-55 to advance to the Final Four.

The two teams played a thriller in December 2010, when Kansas and UCLA faced off in Allen Fieldhouse. KU escaped with a narrow 77-76 victory. Most recently, the teams met in the 2011 Maui Invitational, where Kansas won a 72-56 decision over UCLA in the semifinal round.

Larry Brown was once the coach of both UCLA from 1979-81 and Kansas from 1983-88.

North Carolina Tar Heels
Some Kansas fans consider the North Carolina Tar Heels to be a rival, especially since the departure of Roy Williams from Kansas for the coaching position at UNC. The two teams rarely meet; usually when they do, it is in an NCAA Tournament setting. UNC leads the all-time series with KU 6-4, with the most recent meeting coming in the Elite Eight of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Kansas, the 2-seed in the Midwest Regional, pulled the upset of 1-seed North Carolina 80-67.

Missouri Tigers (Border War)
The 160-year-old rivalry between Kansas and Missouri began with open violence that up to the American Civil War known as Bleeding Kansas that took place in the Kansas Territory (Sacking of Lawrence) and the western frontier towns of Missouri throughout the 1850s. The incidents were clashes between pro-slavery factions from both states and anti-slavery Kansans to influence whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. In the opening year of the war, six Missouri towns (the largest being Osceola) and large swaths of the western Missouri country side were plundered and burned by guerrilla "Jayhawkers" from Kansas. The Sacking of Osceola led to a retaliatory raid on Lawrence, Kansas two years later known as the Lawrence Massacre killing between 185 and 200 men and boys, which in turn led to the infamous General Order No. 11 (1863), the forced depopulation of several western Missouri counties. The raid on Lawrence was led by William Quantrill, a Confederate guerrilla born in Ohio who had formed his bushwhacker group at the end of 1861. At the time the Civil War broke out, Quantrill was a resident of Lawrence, Kansas teaching school.

The athletic rivalry began with a football game on October 31, 1891. Currently it is the second longest played series in Division I football and has been described as one of the most intense in the nation. However, no games are currently scheduled for the 2012-2013 school year after Missouri accepted an offer to join the Southeastern Conference and Kansas refused Missouri's offer to continue rivalry outside of the conference. In the basketball series Kansas leads by a large margin (172-95 KU), in football Missouri leads by a very small margin (57-54-9 MU) and baseball Missouri leads by a large margin.

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Kansas had a rivalry with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, though that rivalry had more to do with who had the better sports program, with Kansas priding itself on its basketball prowess and Nebraska on its football dominance. This rivalry of sports cultures has gone dormant with Nebraska's departure for the Big 10 Conference in 2011. In basketball, Kansas leads the all-time series 170-71.

Wichita State Shockers
Kansas also had a rivalry of sorts with the Wichita State Shockers in basketball, though this rivalry has not been played since the 1990s. KU leads the all-time series with its in-state rival 12-2, but WSU had a couple of bright spots in the rivalry. The Shockers deposed the Jayhawks in the 1981 NCAA Sweet Sixteen. And in the 1986-1987 season, Wichita State scored a 54-49 upset of Danny Manning-led Kansas. Although the two teams have not met in basketball since January 1993, they remain heated baseball rivals.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
In the 1970s and 1980s, Kansas had a rivalry with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but this rivalry has not been played since the 1987-88 season. Notre Dame leads the series 9-3.

North Carolina State Wolfpack
During the Larry Brown era at Kansas, the Jayhawks also had a rivalry with the North Carolina State Wolfpack, due in part to resentment by NC State fans that Brown successfully recruited Danny Manning out of Greensboro, North Carolina to play at KU, even though it seemed at the time that NC State was Manning's top college choice. KU and NCSU clashed four times during Brown's tenure as KU coach, with Kansas winning all four meetings. The two teams did revive the rivalry in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, with Kansas pulling out a 60-57 victory in the Sweet 16. KU leads the series with NCSU 12-1.

Mascots

 * See: Baby Jay, Big Jay, and Centennial Jay (C Jay) . C Jay was introduced at the Kansas vs. Missouri basketball game (February 25, 2012) to honor the one-hundredth anniversary of the Kansas Jayhawk.

Notable athletes

 * Phog Allen played basketball at KU under James Naismith. He was known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching" as he coached and mentored Hall of Fame coaches Dutch Lonberg, Adolph Rupp, Ralph Miller, and Dean Smith. Allen, Lonberg, Rupp, Miller, and Smith (all KU alumni and basketball players) amassed 3,481 career wins as head coaches.  No other five alumni from any other school come close to this figure.  When Allen retired he was the leader in all-time wins (746) until passed by Rupp, who held it until passed by Smith.  Allen also founded the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1927, which went on to create the NCAA Tournament in 1939. While at Kansas, he was also a member of the Football and Baseball teams.
 * Bob Allison, Major League Baseball player, Minnesota Twins
 * Ferrell Anderson, Major League Baseball catcher, Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals
 * Darrell Arthur, NBA player, forward for the Memphis Grizzlies
 * Charles B. Black, Basketball player and only four-time All-American in KU history (2 of those years he was Consensus All-American). First 1,000 point scorer at KU.
 * Charlie T. Black, Basketball player, was member of 1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams. Two-time All-American and 1924 Helms National Player of the Year.
 * B. H. Born, Basketball player. Member of 1952 National Championship team and 1953 National runner-up team.  1953 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.  In the 1953 National Final game he scored 26 points, pulled down 15 rebounds, and blocked 13 shots.  First-round NBA Draft pick who declined to play in the league.  Helped recruit Wilt Chamberlain.
 * Bill Bridges, Basketball player, 3-time NBA All Star. 1975 NBA Champion.  2-time NBA All-Defensive Team.  13-year NBA career.
 * Gilbert Brown, 10-year NFL defensive tackle, Green Bay Packers
 * Isaac Byrd, 6-year NFL wide receiver, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers
 * Mario Chalmers, NBA Player, Hit the "Shot heard 'round the world" to send the 2008 NCAA Championship Game into overtime, eventually beating Memphis for the 2008 National Championship Title, currently plays for Miami Heat
 * Wilt Chamberlain, two-time All American, Final Four MVP, National Basketball Hall of Fame, Top 50 All Time Greatest NBA players
 * Anthony Collins, All-American, NFL player, offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
 * Nick Collison, NBA Player, former Team USA member, power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder
 * 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
 * Glenn Cunningham, two-time US Olympic Runner, Silver Medalist 1936 Berlin Olympics, dominant runner of 1930s
 * Bobby Douglass, All-American QB, 13 year NFL player
 * Paul Endacott, Basketball player and member of 1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams. Named 1923 Helms National Player of the Year.
 * Ray Evans starred both on the hardwood and the gridiron. Playing both offense and defense, he led KU to the 1948 Orange Bowl.  Only player in college football history to lead the nation in passing (on offense) and interceptions (on defense) in the same season.  Single-season KU leader in interceptions with 10, as well as career leader with 17.  All-American in football and in basketball.  Drafted by the New York Knicks and Pittsburgh Steelers.  His time in college was interrupted by three years of service in the United States Army Air Forces.  Therefore, his All-American Basketball season was 1943 and his All-American Football season was 1947.  He is the only player at KU to have his jersey retired both in football and basketball.  Member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
 * Matt Gogel, golf, PGA Tour winner of 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
 * Drew Gooden, NBA player, power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks
 * Charles Gordon, NFL player, cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings
 * John Hadl, two-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 distinction of being the NFL's highest-paid center
 * Kirk Hinrich, NBA player, point guard for the Atlanta Hawks
 * Darnell Jackson, NBA player, forward for the Sacramento Kings
 * William "Skinny" Johnson, Basketball player, 2-time All-Big 6. Member basketball Hall of Fame.
 * Adrian Jones, NFL player, offensive lineman for the Houston Texans
 * Raef LaFrentz, NBA player, power forward for the Portland Trail Blazers, retired
 * Dutch Lonborg, Basketball player under Phog Allen. Member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a Head Coach.
 * Clyde Lovellette, Basketball player, led KU to the 1952 NCAA Tournament championship. The only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring and then win the National Championship in the same season.  1952 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.  Scored a then record 141 points in the 1952 NCAA Tournament.  3-time All-American (twice Consensus All-American) and 1952 Helms College Player of the Year.  1952 Olympic Gold Medalist while earning the Most Outstanding Player and leading the team in scoring.  9th overall pick in the 1952 NBA Draft.  4-time NBA All Star, 3-time NBA champion, and Basketball Hall of Fame member.
 * Danny Manning, Basketball player and current assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks. Two-time All-American 1988 recipient of the Naismith and Wooden Awards, Big 8 Player of the Decade for 1980s, 2-time NBA All-Star, National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Famer.
 * Curtis McClinton, three-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
 * Ralph Miller, Basketball and Football player at KU. Assistant under Phog Allen.  Went on to become Basketball Hall of Famer as a Head Coach with 657 wins.
 * Billy Mills, First American to win gold medal in the 10,000m run, 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
 * Bill Nieder, Former record holder in High School shot put, first college Athlete to surpass 60 feet with the 16-pound shot, two National championships, Silver Medal 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, Gold Medal 1960 Rome Olympic Games
 * Moran Norris, NFL player, fullback for the San Francisco 49ers
 * Al Oerter, Olympic gold medal discus thrower in four consecutive Olympiads
 * Rhino Page, MVP of the 2004 Intercollegiate Bowling Championships, now a 3-time titleist on the PBA Tour
 * Paul Pierce, NBA player, small forward for the Boston Celtics, 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
 * Scot Pollard, NBA player, power forward for the Boston Celtics, retired.
 * Fred Pralle, Basketball player, 2-time All-American. First Jayhawk to win Consensus All-American honors.
 * 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
 * Adolph Rupp, Basketball Player under Phog Allen. Member of 1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams.  Retired as winningest college basketball Head Coach with 876 wins.  Member of Basketball Hall of Fame.
 * Brandon Rush, NBA Player, shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors
 * Jim Ryun, World record holder in mile, Olympic silver medalist, former Congressman
 * Wes Santee, American middle distance runner and athlete, 1952 Olympics
 * Gale Sayers (the Kansas Comet), 2-time All American, NFL Hall of Fame running back, Chicago Bears
 * Wayne Simien, 2-time All American, first-round draft pick by the Miami Heat
 * Dean Smith played basketball under Phog Allen. Also played baseball.  Member of the 1952 National Championship Basketball Team.  Assistant Coach at KU for 1 season.  Retired as winningest college basketball Head Coach with 879 wins.  Member of Basketball Hall of Fame.
 * Marilynn Smith, 21-time winner on the LPGA Tour. Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006
 * Bud Stallworth, Basketball player, 1972 Big 8 Player of the Year. Dropped 50 on Missouri in 1972 game.  7th overall pick in 1972 NBA draft.
 * Dana Stubblefield, All-American, 3-time All-Pro defensive tackle, 1997 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
 * Aqib Talib, All-American, 2008 NFL Draft Pick, first round – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Darnell Valentine, All-American guard, 3-time Academic All-American, 9-year NBA player
 * Jacque Vaughn, All-American player, won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs, retired, current assistant coach for the 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.
 * Walt Wesley, Basketball Player, 2nd team All-American. 6th overall pick in 1966 NBA Draft.  10 year NBA career.
 * Jo Jo White, All-American guard, 12-year NBA player, member of two NBA champion teams, number retired by the Boston Celtics
 * Lynette Woodard, 4-time All-American, Major college basketball's career Women's Scoring leader, Gold Medalist 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, First woman ever to play with Harlem Globetrotters, WNBA player, former Assistant and Interim Head Coach for the Kansas Jayhawks, National Basketball Hall of Fame, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
 * Gary Woodland, professional golfer on the PGA Tour
 * Julian Wright, NBA player, power forward for the Toronto Raptors
 * Layla Young, Soccer player, professional with Fulham L.F.C. and England women's national football team

Athletic directors
James Naismith 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 – 1919–37
 * Gwinn Henry – 1938–42
 * Karl Klooz – 1943 (interim)
 * Ernie Quigley – 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 – 2003–2010
 * Sean Lester – 2010 (interim)
 * Sheahon Zenger – 2011–present