Section C·Page 10
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 26, 1999
Red Lyon Tavern
Kansas fans' loyalty keeps hope alive
Freshmen dream of NCAA title
By Brandon Stinnett Kanson sportswriter
Many KU freshman basketball fans wish they could have a memory like Bob Lockwood.
Lockwood, a physical education graduate student, was a junior in 1888 when the Kansas men's basketball team made its historic run to the national championship.
still looms large in Lockwood's mind.
"It was an incredible feeling," Lockwood said. "You never would have expected them to win it all."
The party atmosphere on campus after the Jayhawks pulled off the stunning upset against Oklahoma in the championship game
"It was just a fun scene," he said.
"It was having fun and being around people. Everybody was giving hugs and high fives. It was a happy party."
Like most Kansas students at the time, Lockwood was a huge fan of Javahawk star Danny Manning.
"Danny was obviously one of the greatest players ever for KU and college basketball," he said. "Anybody who liked Jayhawk basketball was a big Danny Manning fan and probably still is."
A lot has changed. Manning is in the NBA and Kansas has not won a national championship since. This season, the Jayhawks have dropped three games at Allen Fieldhouse and are two games out of first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Lockwood said he doesn't think that matters.
"I think we are true fans, and we are just as excited about Kansas basketball as back then," said Lockwood. "We are not fair-weather fans."
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Hank Puls, Olathe freshman, said it was frustrating to see Kansas struggling this season.
"But it it's still fun to go to the games," Puls said. "If they couldn't beat anybody, I'd probably still go. They'll rebound. They'll be good again."
He said that the camaraderie between the fans was what he expected before the season began.
"Camping out and going to games is a great experience. I wish everyone could experience it once," Puls said.
Puls said he wanted to see the Jayhawks win another national championship.
"If KU would win a national championship while I was here attending school, it would be something I'd remember my entire life," he said.
Mike Snyder, Omaha, Neb., freshman, has a different reason for wanting the Jayhawks to win the championship.
"It would be great, because I could talk to all my friends back in Nebraska," he said.
One of the reasons that Snyder chose to attend the University was to attend basketball games.
"I came here for the tradition of KU basketball," Snyder said. "I've always followed the KU basketball team in Omaha."
Edited by Jason Pearce
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