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Monday, November 2, 1987 / University Daily Kansan
SportsMonday
All-sports tickets means basketball for KU students
By ELAINE SUNG Special to the Kansan
After another disappointing football season, many KU sports fans are waiting the approaching basketball season.
One indication of the enthusiasm on campus for Jayhawk basketball was the complete sellout of the 7,400 student all-sports tickets. Although the all-sports tickets cover football as well as basketball, many students say their only concern with the tickets lies in Allen Field House.
There are many who admit that they support the basketball team because they have had far more success at winning games than the football team.
Tammy Vieselmeyer, Omaha, Neb., sophomore, got her all-sports ticket during the summer. She said she had not used a single football ticket yet this season since the team was doing poorly.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, some KU fans buy all-sports tickets regardless of the team's record
If the basketball team had a bad season this year, she would still attend the games because there was more spirit, she said.
"But if it was awful this year, I would have to ticket next year." Viagrand说, "moved."
Bart Brown, Leavenworth senior,
said he had bought an all-sports
ticket every year since he had been
at KU, even during the Ted Owens
era, when KU's record in 1982-83 was
13-16.
"I still went to the games," Brown
sand. "It's really intense here, and the fans are really good."
For some, it is simply the tradition of KU men's basketball, combined with the atmosphere of Allen Field House, that makes each season great.
"Allen Field House is awesome to watch games in." David Russell, Oklahoma City, Okla., sophomore said. "Everyone gets excited. The crowd gets loud, and it's fun. Basketball has a tradition. Football has a tradition, too, but it's a losing one."
Todd Porch, Dallas sophomore, got his all-sports ticket over the summer and said he was crazy about KU basketball.
"I go to the games because that's what college is all about. There's excitement, fans going crazy and there's total support for the team," he said.
Porch said he went to every home basketball game last year and if he had not gotten tickets this season, he would still find some way to go.
Some KU fans have no choice but to resort to the classified ads or to scalpers in order to obtain tickets.
Tony Rock, Houston junior, transferred from Southern Methodist University and was not able to buy an all-sports ticket in time. He said he realized that he would probably end up going to a scalper.
"I'm planning on going to the games, but I'm going to have to pay premium," Rock said. "It's a free market out there, and I'll pay extra just so I don't have to sit in nosebleed territory."
Ex-player remembers half-full field house
Staff writer
Rv DARRIN STINEMAN
As a rule, Kansas basketball fans have filed into Allen Field House to support their Jayhawks through thick and thin. But in former Kansas basketball coach Ted Owens' final two years as coach, the rule was broken.
broken.
In the 1981-82 season, when the Jayhawks record was 13-14, the average attendance at the field house dipped below 10,000 for the first time since the 1964-65 season. It just happened to be the Jayhawks' first losing season since the '72-'73 season.
In 1982-83, the average number of fans attending home games fell again as the number of losses from the previous year increased to 16.
"When everybody wants to be a part of a winner and you don't win, people don't come to the games," said Jeff Guiot, the Jayhawks' startling point guard in the 1982-83 season. "Statistics show that teams that win sell out, and teams that lose don't."
Kansas only sellout that season, was the Kansas State game, which KU lost 70-63. But Guiot, who also played for Kansas in the 1983-84 season behind Mark Turgueon, said he wasn't concerned with sellouts.
"That really didn't disappoint me," he said. "What disappointed me was that we weren't winning. It was our fault the fans didn't show up. It wasn't anything like the way it is
now."
Now, victories and sellouts are both abundant for Kansas. In the 1983-84 season, Larry Brown's first as the Jayhawks' coach, the team's record went from the previous year's 13-16 mark to 22-10, and the average home attendance went from 9,447 to 11,587. Kansas' home record improved from 8-4 to 14-2.
W.
When everybody wants to be a part of a winner and you don't win, people don't come to the games.'
— Jeff Guiot
Former KU basketball player
Cedric Hunter, a member of Brown's first recruiting class, experienced few non-sellouts at home and fewer losses during his years with the Javahaws.
Hunter, a three-year starter at Kansas and holder of the all-time Kansas and Big Eight assist records, said the large crowds helped the Jayhawks maintain their home win streak, which now stands at 48 games.
"We didn't go into every game saying 'let's keep the streak going,' but it was in the back 66 everybody's mind," he said.
A rowdy Allen Field House crowd welcomes the Jayhawk to "Late Night with Larry Brown."
KU basketball popular once again
By DAVID BOYCE
Assistant sports editor
Looking now at the students' fanatical craze for Kansas basketball, its hard for one to imagine a time when KU students were not loyal to the Javhawks.
But there was a time, not too long ago, when fans would not say during the football season, "at least we have basketball."
During the 1981-82 basketball season, Kansas was lucky to draw 9,000 fans, about 2,500 of which were students.
Breakdown of basketball student ticket sales
Today, Kansas can draw a sellout,
15,800, for a practice at midnight.
Indeed, basketball at Kansas has
grown to an unprecedented level of
popularity.
The University of Kansas has always been rich in basketball tradition, but some athletic department officials can remember when students saw KU basketball as they now see KU football.
Notes Season Home Games Price of Season Tickets and number sold Record
Ted Owens Coach 1980-81 14 $15 6,100 24-8
1981-82 16 $28 2,722 13-14
1982-83 12 $22 3,400 13-16
Larry Brown Coach 1983-84 14 $24 4,200 22-10
1984-85 15 $23 4,900 26-8
Tickets available only through All-Sports Tickets 1985-86 15 $45 5,500 35-4
1986-87 15 $55 7,400 25-11
1987-88 15 $60 7,400 ...
In the 1980-81 season, 6,100 students bought season basketball tickets; but the following year, student ticket sales decreased to 2,722. Part of the reason for the decline was an
Richard Konzem, assistant athletic director, was a student at Kansas during the late '70s, and he saw the KU basketball team during both good and bad seasons.
"We anticipated some decline because Darnell Valentine left, but we didn't expect the drop we had," Konzem said.
He said that even when KU went 24-5 in 1977-78, the fans were not as enthusiastic as they were in the present day.
But he said fans did follow the team until the 1981-82 season, when student attendance really dropped. That season, Konzem worked as ticket manager for the Jayhawks.
KANSAN Graphic
"Winning is the name of game," said Floyd Temple, assistant athletic director of facilities. "During Ted Owens' winning years, we had sellouts and enthusiastic fans. But then we got into the area of not much enthusiasm."
increase in price from $15 to $28.
ball coach Larry Brown came in, the situation changed.
Another reason for the drop was the team's performance. In the 1981-82 season, KU's record was 13-14, and the average attendance was below 10,000 for the first time since the 1964-65 season.
Then, during the 1982-83 season, Kansas' record was 13-16 and the average attendance was 9.447.
He said that when current basket-
"His relationship with the fans has generated a lot of excitement." Temple said. "For instance, "Late Night with Larry Brown" has grown each year."
Temple, who has been at Kansas since 1954, said he had never seen students as devoted to a coach as they are to Brown.
When "Late Night" started in 1985, 8,000 fans attended. The attendance the next year increased to 12,000, and it was a sellout this year.
"A lot of coaches win, but they don't have the following," Temple said. "Brown brings coffee and
doughnuts to fans who come early for games. I've only seen three coaches here, but never have I seen this type of devotion. He has that sort of charisma."
When Brown arrived in 1983, student season basketball ticket sales went to about 4,200, from 3,400 in the 1982-83 season, Owens' final year, said Art Lingle, assistant athletic business manager.
Lingle said ticket sales for the faculty and staff also had increased since Brown came to KU. In 1981-82, 930 staff and faculty bought season basketball tickets. Last year, 1685 faculty and staff bought basketball tickets.
Kansas crew members row on rowing machines for money. The team was rowing outside Litwin's, 830 Massachusetts St., Friday afternoon
Crew members row downtown for dough
When the KU Crew team members aren't on the water training for a regatta, they're on the streets trying to raise money to get to the regattas.
By ELAINE SUNG Special to the Kansan
The team held an Ergathon last Thursday in front of Litwin's, 830 Massachusetts St. Team members set up four ergometers, which are rowing simulation machines, and took turnsrowing the equivalent of 250,000 meters. Area merchants pledged money for the number of meters rowed.
Last week, crew members asked downtown merchants for pledges. The team hoped to raise $2,300 to offset travel costs.
Martin, a Lawrence senior, said it was difficult to raise the amount of money required.
"Things are getting better," Martin said. "We're finally getting com
Other fund-raisers included selling chocolate Jayhawks, working at concessions stands at KU football and basketball games and picking up trash at the Renaissance Festival.
Jennifer Martin, vice-president of KU Crew, organized the Ergathon. She said it was one of many fundraisers the team had organized in the past in the effort to meet expenses
petitive equipment. At this point, other things are secondary. Being competitive isn't the main thing with the team, but it's nice."
KU Crew is a club sport and does not receive money from the University. But, as a student organization, the team was allocated $22,000 this year by Student Senate.
Members said, however, that with traveling costs alone running over $700 a person, the money given by Senate was only a start.
"We do a lot of fund raising," said Scott Klaus, president of KU Crew. "We have a budget of $56,000 this year, so we have to come up with the rest of the money. We try to get it from other places. It's a never-ending process."
Klaus said the team also had to deal with other expenses such as equipment maintenance, coaches' salaries, entry fees and clothing and food costs.
Between the fund raised events and the time spent training, KU Crew members remain enthusiastic about the sport
"I love it," said Jane Bryan. Des Moines, Iowa, junior. "It's a team sport, and you have to work with everybody and think about every single move you make in the boat."
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