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[edit] Athletics
The school's sports teams, wearing crimson and royal blue, are called the Jayhawks. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (I-A for football) and in the Big 12 Conference. KU has won eleven National Championships: five in men's basketball (two Helms Foundation championships and three NCAA championships), three in men's indoor track and field, three in men's outdoor track and field, and one in men's cross country. Their most recent championship came on April 7th, 2008 when they defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime to win the 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
KU football dates from 1890, and has played in the Orange Bowl three times: 1948,1968 and 2008. They are currently coached by Mark Mangino, who was hired in 2002. Under his leadership, the #7 Jayhawks emerged victorius in their first BCS bowl game, the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl, with a 24-21 victory over the #3 Virginia Tech Hokies. This capstone victory marked the end of the most successful season in school history, in which the Jayhawks went 12-1 (.923). The team plays at Memorial Stadium. Memorial Stadium is currently undergoing renovation, begun in the summer of 2007, to add a $30 million football practice faciltiy complete with indoor practice field and weight room along with improving the locker room facilities. Current NFL alumni include Moran Norris of the San Francisco 49ers, David McMillan of the Cleveland Browns, Charles Gordon of the Minnesota Vikings, Adrian Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Justin Hartwig of the Carolina Panthers. NFL Hall of Fame alumni include Gale Sayers and John Riggins among others.
The KU men's basketball team has fielded a team every year since 1898. The Jayhawks are a perennial national contender currently coached by Bill Self. The team has won three NCAA tournament championships in 1952, 1988, and 2008. The basketball program is currently the third winningest program in college basketball history with an overall record of 1,943-785. The team plays at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas has counted among its coaches Dr. James Naismith (the inventor of basketball and only coach in Kansas history to have a losing record), Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Phog Allen ("the Father of basketball coaching"), Roy Williams of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and former NBA Champion Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown. In addition, legendary University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp played for KU's 1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams. In addition, NCAA Hall of Fame University of North Carolina Coach Dean Smith played for KU's 1952 NCAA Championship team. Both Rupp and Smith played under Phog Allen.
Lew Perkins, previously at Connecticut, replaced Al Bohl as the university's athletic director in 2003. Under Perkins's administration, the department's budget has increased from $27.2 million in 2003 (10th in the conference) to currently over $50 million thanks in large part to money raised from a new priority seating policy at Allen Fieldhouse, a new $26.67 million eight-year contract with Adidas replacing an existing contract with Nike, and a new $40.2 million seven-year contract with ESPN Regional Television. The additional funds have brought improvements to the university, including:[1]
- The Booth Family Hall of Athletics addition to Allen Fieldhouse;
- Brand new offices and lounges for the women's basketball program;
- Brand new scoreboard and batting facility for the baseball field;
- A new $35 million football facility adjacent to Memorial Stadium;
- The $8 million dollar 42,000 square foot Anderson Family Strength Center
