Janette Crawford Kansan Special Sections Editor
Bill Cross
Kansan Sports Editor
Jonathan Kealing
Kansan Associate Sports Editor
Tradition itself is a concept, an idea — it's not a tangible thing. But as time passes, certain traditions earn the privilege of becoming embodied by the things that surround them, and nowhere is this more evident than in the long-standing tradition of Kansas basketball. Here, Allen Fieldhouse and tradition are one and the same, from its court named after James Naismith to the innumerous records that have been set in its walls to the daunting reputation of its home court advantage. And Allen Fieldhouse doesn't only mean basketball. In past years, track, gymnastics, wrestling and volleyball have also held a presence in campus' most famed building. Phog Allen created a popular place.
In this magazine we honor the many events that have taken place in the fieldhouse since the day its doors opened, in 1955. The snapshots of history in this magazine, especially between pages three and 17, each took place in the fieldhouse and are presented through the eyes of The University Daily Kansan. Every year a handful of Kansan writers represent the student
community as a whole, so we editors could find no better source to represent the campus' perspective of the fieldhouse than the Kansan. Admittedly, we're also a bit partial to it.
This semester's writers have added their own perspective to the building's history with stories on the fieldhouse's past, its future and the people who have shaped the vibrant tradition of the Phog. We also can't get out of this note without crediting immensely the people of University Archives and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library, who were so good to us as we researched Kansan archives and fieldhouse photos. We couldn't have done it without them.
Those of us who worked on this project celebrate the embodiment of tradition, our own being the daily issues of the Kansan. Our research on the fieldhouse has taught us a lot about what it means to be great. We are proud and honored to guide you through the last 50 years of the fieldhouse,and we pledge to cover the next 50 even better. Thanks for reading.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN PRESENTS
50 YEARS OF THE PHOG
SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR Janette Crawford
SPORTS EDITOR Bill Cross
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Jonathan Kealing
DESIGN EDITOR Ann Liu
DESIGNERS Rachel Castor
Jane Huschka
Amanda Schwegler
COPY EDITOR Neeley Spellmeier
RESEARCH SOURCES University Archives, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries "Beware of the Phog: 50 Years of Allen Fieldhouse" by Jeff Bollig and Doug Vance Kansas basketball media guides
RESEARCH EDITOR
RESEARCHERS
Jack Weinstein
Jason Elmqist
Travis Robinett
Steven Bartkoski
Frank Tankard
Alissa Bauer
Michael Phillips
Pat Shehan
Drew Davison
Tim Hall
Ross Fitch
Kellis Robinett
MAX'S MEMORIES Miranda Lenning
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Shane Kucera Cassandra Watters Courtney Kuhlen
READERS'KEY
If you have already flipped through these pages, you may be wondering why, between pages three and 17, some of the photos are such low quality and some of the headlines curvy and hard to read. The answer, friend, is that they came straight out of issues of The University Daily Kansan, some more than 50 years old. All Kansan reprints are courtesy of University Archives. We highlighted pieces of text from complete articles to help you understand the context and explanation of some stories. We have added some new original text, which introduces each decade and offers further insight into fieldhouse lore in the last three feature articles.
You will also notice some special boxes with this headline on them:
MAX'S MEMORIES
These boxes feature some of Max Falkenstien's greatest memories from the fieldhouse. Falkenstien has announced Kansas basketball games since 1947, eight years before Allen Fieldhouse opened. He began as a play-by-play announcer but transitioned to color commentator in 1983 when he was joined by announcer Bob Davis. Falkenstien and Davis can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network anytime the Jayhawks play.
Davis can be heard on the skywalk. After all the research we've done for this magazine, we like to think we know as much as Max and Bob. But that's up for debate, of course.
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