TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2002
SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 7A
Mangino says a winning program isn't impossible
ByJohn Domoney
jdomoney@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
When Kansas football coach Mark Mangino left his position as offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma last December to take the reigns of the Jayhawk program, he knew there would be dark days before he could turn around the fortunes of Kansas football.
Mangino was inheriting a program that had not had a winning season since 1995 after leaving a Sooner team that was headed for its second straight 10-win season.
In yesterday's Big 12 Conference teleconference, Mangino
said this season had been trying but was filled with encouraging signs.
"Nobody likes losing," Mangino said. "I don't like it, our players don't, our coaches don't, but I really believe that our players see the difference in our program right now, even though it hasn't translated into wins just yet."
Mangino has coached Kansas to a 2-9 record heading into Saturday's finale against Oklahoma State. The first-year coach has had to deal with numerous injuries and dismissals on the team.
Before the season began on Aug. 31 against Iowa State, wide receiver Harrison Hill ended his
career because of chronic dehydration complications after he was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Hill was on pace to become the leading receiver in Kansas football history.
During the Jayhawks' loss to Iowa State, 45-3, Kansas also lost sophomore linebacker Banks Floodman for the season to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee.
The last three games have been particularly difficult for the Jayhawks, with Missouri, Kansas State and Nebraska outscoring Kansas 145-19.
Not only has Kansas lost six games in a row, but it has also had two quarterbacks — junior quarterback Bill Whittemore and senior quarterback Jonas Weatherbie—suffer serious knee injuries.
Whittemore, who was the team's leading passer and second leading rusher, left the Missouri game on Oct. 26 in the third quarter with an injury to his medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Weatherbie started the next two games against Kansas State and Nebraska, but he was lost for the season Saturday with a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Between dealing with injuries and the nuances that come with building a program, Mangino has not had as much time as he would have liked to focus on the action on the field.
"I would say when you're a head coach, in my situation here, there are so many things that need attention that you have to spend a great deal of time working on issues that have nothing to do with X's and O's," Mangino said. "X's and O's are really the fun part of the game, and I like to spend time doing that, but there's so many issues that you have to deal with."
Mangino has made several references in the past few weeks to the older players that have only known losses while playing for Kansas. This has led Mangino to compare the rebuilding job he has here to the one he had at Kansas State in 1991, where the Wildeats' record was 8-46-1 in the five years
before Mangino went to Manhattan.
"We're like Kansas State, we don't have much of a tradition here." Mangino said. "So we have to talk about the present and the future and what we're going to build here and how we're doing it."
Mangino said he thought the Jayhawks could become a winning program, the same as Kansas State had done.
"I understand the job I tackled here and I feel good about it," Mangino said. "I think everything is going in the right direction with the exception of the wins column, and that will come."
Edited by Katie Teske
Free forAll
The reason that Drew Gooden is on the March Madness cover even though he's not eligible to play is because video game companies that make college games can't use college players' names or endorse them because college players are not paid. If you play the game when it comes out, you'll notice that it doesn't have the players' names, just their numbers. Every year for the front cover EA selects a star from the previous year who is now a pro and can be advertised.
--final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
In response to Ryan Wood's article about Jeff Boschee's book, I just have to give Ryan Wood props because indeed Jeff Boschee just sucks at everything.
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
Ryan Wood's article just shows he's another guy that's jealous of Jeff Boschee, so he should shut up.
Yeah, I'd just like to let Jeff Graves know that the defense is manto-man, not fat, slow guy in the middle. Thanks.
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
This is to the person who called in about Duke sucking. Excuse me, but Duke doesn't belong in the same category as Mizzou. Mizzou sucks — you guys are just jalous of Mizzou.
Woo-hoo. Roy's Boys rock. See you at the next game. We love you!
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
Ryan Wood, first you complain how hard it is to like that piece-of crap team Mizzou, now you are bad mouthing one of KU's players. Just shut the heck up. No one enjoys reading your anti-KU messages. If you hate KU so much, then why don't you crawl back to that piece-of-crap state called Missouri and live with the rest of the rednecks and hillbillies? Mizzou sucks.
图
What the hell was John Domoney picking Missouri over Colorado? He must have been taking advice from Doyle Murphy.
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
In February of 1980, against growing Cold War fears, the US hockey team created an unforgettable moment of national pride when they miraculously beat the Soviets on the ice. A win selected by Sports Illustrated as the No. 1 sports moment of the century. Answer the question: Do you believe in miracles?
final home game Nov.16 against Oklahoma State?
I'm sorry, but the only pretty thing about the baseball stadium has been ruined. They painted the big fence a really ugly color of blue. What is wrong with our school?
POLL
kansan.com
Now that the Kansas football team is 2-9 overall and was blown out by Kansas State and Nebraska, will you attend the
Log on to www.kansan.com to cast your vote.
No
This Week in Kansas Athletics
TODAY
Men's Basketball vs. Washburn, 7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse
TOMORROW
Volleyball vs. Texas A&M, 7 p.m. in Horesji Family Athletics Center
Women's Basketball vs. Solna Vikings Basketball Club,
7 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse
SATURDAY
Cross Country at Midwest Regionals in Normal, III.
Football vs. Oklahoma State, 1 p.m.at Memorial Stadium
Volleyball vs. Baylor, Waco Texas
SUNDAY
Women's Basketball vs. Fort Hays State; 2:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse
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