KULTURE
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2005 12A
Half a century STRONG
Allen Fieldhouse has a lot to celebrate after 50 years of success
No matter who you are, where you are from or where you may be going, if you are a part of the University of Kansas, you are connected to one of the most elite basketball programs in the country. You are a part of one of the most tradition rich, passionate and spirited fan bases of any university.
Perhaps the craze started with the legendary Phog Allen, coach of the Kansas Jayhawks for 39 seasons and also the most dominating coach in college-basketball history. In his 39 seasons, Allen won 590 games and led Kansas to the World Championship in 1952.
Allen Fieldhouse, named after Forrest "Phog" Allen, is the home of the Jawahirs, and a time capsule of the traditions and successes of the Kansas basketball program. The building, a landmark on campus, is located on Naismith Drive. The street's name is attributed to James Naismith, the inventor of basketball who was also a University graduate student and the first basketball coach at the University in 1866.
This year, Allen Fieldhouse turms 50 years old. The history, atmosphere and tradition of the fieldhouse are just some of the reasons why the aging building is arguably the greatest place to watch a college basketball game. People come hundreds of miles to supply step inside the doors of the fieldhouse to综合征 the aura of the Phog.
The venue is one of the most challenging places for opposing teams to visit. The Missouri Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats would probably agree. Kansas is a basketball powerhouse, especially when it's playing at home with fans behind it.
More than 50 years ago, before the idea of the fieldhouse
was even conceived, Jayhawk basketball was played in Hoch Auditorium, or present-day Budig Hall. In 1955, the walls of the fieldhouse went up, consisting of 650,000 bricks and a seating capacity of 16,300. The first game to be played in the fieldhouse was on March 1, 1955 when the Jayhawks defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 77-66.
ed the Kansas State Wildcats. Allen Fieldhouse is most closely associated with basketball. In its earlier days, the fieldhouse was home to track, football, volleyball and even softball. Numerous famous faces like that of Robert Kennedy have spoken in the Phog as well.
Aside from the history of the actual building, the basketball history of the fieldhouse rises above the rest. Kansas is the alma mater of basketball legends including Wilt Chamberlain, Danny Manning and Lynette Woodard. Then there are the more recent superstars like Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, both 2003 graduates. The Kansas basketball program has been the home of winning coaches like James Naismith, Phog Allen, Ted Owens, Larry Brown and do we dare mention Roy Williams?
Kansas men's basketball has seen seven NCAA Championship games since 1939, and has brought home the National Championship twice, once in 1952, and the most memorable in 1988 when Danny Manning was a member of the team.
Behind the talent of all Kansas basketball teams is a devoted and passionate group of fans and supporters. Hundreds of students camp days, and sometimes weeks before a game in hopes of getting a good seat to cheer the Jayhawks to victory. Until the 1990s, camping for a basketball game had a different meaning. Students would pitch tents and air mattresses
With thousands of enthusiastic fans roaring in the fieldhouse, home losses are rare. In fact, in 1998 when Kansas Basketball turned 100 years old, the Jayhawks rallied to win 62 consecutive games at the fieldhouse. So what makes watching a game in Allen Fieldhouse so special? Most students and fans would tell you that the traditions that go on in the fieldhouse during games are rituals that no one but a lavahawk fan can ever understand.
and literally camp out all night and day on the front lawn of the fieldhouse in order to watch the Jayhawks rock their opponents.
Maybe what makes the experience so exhilarating is the deafening noise elicited by a full house. It could be singing the alma mater before a game or the newspaper confetti that covers every student in attendance after the team introductions. It could be the Rock Chalk Chant or waving the wheat. Maybe the atmosphere of a KU basketball game comes from the sign hanging from the rafters that reads:
"Pay Heed, All Who Enter: BEWARE OF THE PHOG."
Once you are connected to Kansas basketball, you're a Jayhawk forever, whether you're a fan, coach or player. Perhaps the sense of family at the fieldhouse is what brought both Danny Manning and Lynette Woodard back to the University after their collegiate basketball careers as Jayhawks. Woodard became a part of the women's coaching staff in 1999, and then served as women's interim coach in 2004. Manning is now the Director of Basketball Operations, and has been a part of the men's coaching staff since current coach Bill Self arrived in Allen Fieldhouse.
SEE FIELDHOUSE ON PAGE 10A
kansan.com
What is the best Allen Fieldhouse tradition?
Singing the Rock Chalk chant
Singing the Wheaties foul-out song
♦ Making newspaper confetti for team line-ups
- Making newspaper content for teenage life
* Singing "The Fighting Jayhawk" faster and faster
♦ Singing "The Fighting Jayhawk" faster and faster before each half
before each half
Big Jay crowd-surfing
TO VOTE, SEE THIS STORY UNDER THE FEATURES LINK ON KANSAN.COM
Results of the Feb. 9 poll:
Have you ever attended a campus event celebrating a culture outside your own?
60% said Yes
26% said No
13% said I didn't know about the celebrations on campus
Results based on 15 votes
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