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the new synthetic variety, which was installed in the spring. By 1976, the historic hardwood was auctioned off to the community.
Initially, the entire floor was put up for sale, but that action was quickly opposed because of the sentimental attachment to the large "K" that was previously located at midcourt. To the Jayhawk faithful, selling the hallmark of their floor, which had seen every play of Allen Fieldhouse, seemed to be tantamount to sacrilege. Protections instantly cropped up to save the 17-foot-7-inch by 18-foot-1-inch piece from being delivered to the highest bolder. Again, the fieldhouse floor represented much more than just a floor. It was a symbol.
Both the student body president and the University Senate Executive Committee chairman responded to the potential sale of center court by delivering a scathing letter to the editor that was published in the Feb. 2, 1976, edition of the Kaman. The students compared the University of Kansas Athletics Corporation to moneychangers, charged it with desecration of the University's basketball temple and accused it of ignoring Kansas tradition.
Chancellor Archie Dykes agreed and moved to keep the "K" piece on campus.
"That floor belongs to all those people who put something into it and seemingly should never be auctioned off like a rusty old car," a student senate spokesman said in 1976.
"That center circle is an important part of our basketball heritage and we feel it is appropriate to keep it at the University."
Not only was Dykes' promise that the centerpiece remain on campus kept, but the piece did not leave the fieldhouse. It is currently on the floor of the trophy collection on the east side of the building. The remaining pieces of the floor sold for $25 for a 4-by-4 foot square and$ 50 for a 4-by-8 foot square.
Drama and change did not end in 1976, though, as the story of Allen Fieldhouse continued to develop.
By 1979, just five years after installing the polyurethane floor, Kansas purchased a wooden floor to go over the concrete base. The newest edition would last until 1992, when the wear and tear of big-time basketball would necessitate another renovation.
Again, with the influax of a fresh floor, members of the Jayhawk nation were able to buy up a piece of their beloved Allen Fieldhouse. The list of shoppers for the 1979 floor did not just include fans, but former coaches also reached out to take away a part of the Jayhawk lore.
Former men's coach Larry Brown, whose tenure lasted from 1984-1988, and his assistant R.C. Buford realized the significance of the floor to the program's legacy and tried to secure a part of it for the players they had coached. Brown and Buford wanted to purchase a piece of the floor for every player that played for them at Kansas.
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"When Larry and I heard they would be breaking up the floor, we wanted to make sure all the players that played under us each got a piece," Bufford told the *Kansas* in 1992. "Those players gave us a lot of great memories
in the fieldhouse and on that court. They deserve to have a piece as much as or more than anyone else."
Portions of the 1979 floor, which went on sale to the public in 1992, were prier than their forerunners, going at $100 for a square-foot piece. The athletics department made$ 150,000 off the sale of the floor, which in turn was put toward other athletics projects.
The 1992 floor gave the Jayhawks' home a new look that included a permanent floor and a better practice facility, but the image change would touch off a debate that rages to this day.
As D.W. Acker, graphics designer for the athletics department, discussed the possible plans for the new floor, then-coach Roy Williams and then-Athletics Director Bob Frederick fired in their input. Slowly, Acker's rough pencil sketches were transformed into the newest incarnation of the fieldhouse floor.
Hoping to raise awareness of the state, a yellow representation of Kansas was placed at center court, with a white star marking Lawrence's location on the map. The star would later be replaced with a Jayhawk to denote the campus' hometown. Yellow, Acker was chosen, said to correspond with the state's cultural symbols of the yellow brick road, corn and wheat.
Kansas basketball remained a top power through the 1990s, under the def guidance of Roy Williams, and the court stayed in stride the whole way. Prior to the 1997-1998 season, Acker added more color to the centerpiece to give it more authority. In the ensuing campaign, Kansas stunned boldly through the Big 12 Conference with only one loss, finishing 35-4 and earning a No. 2 ranking.
Roy Williams' years at Kansas were numbered, as were those of the state's stay at center court.
The departure of Williams following the 2002-2003 season ushered in the era of Bill Self. As the new front man of Kansas basketball, Self sought to establish a reputation for his newly acquired program and saw the fieldhouse floor as the ground level for change.
To replace the state of Kansas map that previously adorned midcourt, an enormous 25-foot-6-inch Jayhawk now stares down each game's 16,300 spectators.
Arguments quickly followed the addition of the oversized Jayhawk, and the campus was again ablaze in debate. Was the Jayhawk too big? Would the size really contribute to the University's television recognition? These questions are still open for argument.
As it stands, the monstrous mascot, for better or for worse, is part of Allen Fieldhouse. Ten years from now, it will most likely be completely different. Times change, and so does the face of Kansas basketball, but one thing will remain constant in the realm of Lawrence.
Even after 50 years, Jayhawk fans have proven they will always be floored by Allen Fieldhouse. $\star$
**Left** When a track circled the fieldhouse's court, the six lanes covered what is now the ground-level concourse. The track here has a Tartan surface; prior to 1972 it was dirt.
**Middle** A packed house cheers on its home team in a late-1990s game.
**Bottom** The newest fieldhouse floor decor features a huge centerpiece Jayhawk. The man on the court makes final preparations to the new floor, which was unveiled in August 2003.
Photo by Courtney Kuhlen/Ki