Kansas Football Bowling: A Great Christmas Present
As a young kid who moved to Kansas City in the mid-1990s, I was just really getting into sports when I arrived in the area. Going through junior high and high school, there were two constant things: the Kansas Jayhawks were great at basketball and just okay at football. And while I really enjoyed following the teams, it was difficult to get excited about what I was seeing from Kansas under head coach Terry Allen. No matter how good the basketball team performed, I was left wanting more from football.
When I attended the University of Kansas from 2003-2008, I was fortunate to see the program turn around under Head Coach Mark Mangino. While it took a while for the record to truly turn around, there was excitement on campus about what this team could, even before the magical Orange Bowl season.
That feeling is something that Kansas fans have been chasing since they got a taste of it during the 2007-08 season. And that's why it's particularly appropriate that the Jayhawks are playing right after the Christmas holiday. The excitement has returned, as head coach Lance Leipold noted. "It's amazing how many times your phone blows up with people wanting to know which bowl game." He relayed stories of people who booked three flights and three hotel rooms, just waiting to make sure they could attend wherever the Jayhawks were going.
It's the perfect gift for the Jayhawks to give to their fans and supporters: the ability to celebrate their favorite program during the holiday season. Like all good gifts, this came thanks to a substantial effort by the team and program. Tight end Mason Fairchild talked about how playing at this time of the year can cause some challenges with Christmas planning, but that it was all worth it. As linebacker Rich Miller noted: "It's never sad not spending Christmas at home," especially when he gets to spend that time traveling and experiencing these games with his teammates.
The growth of the program and the investment by the staff, players and fans have paid off in huge ways. When asked about his favorite memories from his time at Kansas, senior Kenny Logan couldn't pick a single moment, instead reminiscing on his time in Lawrence:
Over these last two years it's been nothing but special. Just the environment of being in the old David Booth [Kansas Memorial Stadium], it was always special running out in front of our student section, hyping them up. Just being inside that stadium on third down, hyping everyone in the stadium up.
In the words of Miller, being able to play in these bowl games the last two years "is a great Christmas present." But Logan still has one part of the gift that he wants to give to fans: "Securing the first bowl victory and after a couple of years seeing how the fans feel."
