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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 6A FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1997
EVENTS • ENTERTAINMENT • ISSUES • MUSIC • ART
GAME OF PRIDE
Kansas tailback Arnold Snell gets tackled after gaining some of his 94 yards against Kansas State on Nov. 5, 1988. Kansas won 30-12 at Memorial Stadium. Kansas holds a 61-28-5 advantage in the series which dates back to 1902. Kansas governor Robert Docking established the in-state rivival as the Governor's Cup in 1969. All photos courtesy University Archives
Above: Kansas players ambush a Kansas State ball carrier in the Jayhawks' 1977 victory. Left: In Kansas' most recent game in Manhattan, the Jayhawks secondary yanks Wildcat wide receiver Mitch Running to the ground. Kansas State won the 1995 game 41-7.
Above left: Kansas running back Vince O'Neil charges through the line in Kansas' 39-13 victory in 1971 at Memorial Stadium. Above: Kansas flanker Bruce Adams sprints past some Wildcats in the Jayhawks' 28-18 victory in 1973. Below: Kansas guard Ken Wertzberger, quarterback Bobby Doughlass and running back J.C. Hixon start an end-around play in the 1967 Sunflower Showdown, which Kansas won 17-16. Below left: Kansas quarterback Scott McMichael throws a pass in the Jayhawks' 28-0 shutout of the Wildcats on Nov. 1, 1975.
Rivalry began mildly in 1902 but goalposts are now at stake
By Penny Walker sports@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
It wasn't much to look at in 1902.
The first Kansas-Kansas State game merit only five paragraphs in the "Kansas University Weekly," dwarfed by a front page story about the installation of Frank Strong as chancellor.
Even the front page advertisements were bigger than the game story.
There was nothing to show that K-State, then called the Kansas State College of Agriculture, would one day become one of Kansas' biggest rivals.
Almost a century later, the annual Jayhawk-Wildcat contest brings out a fierce competitive spirit among players and fans alike—but it took that spirit a few years to pick up speed.
The 1902 game ended in a 16-0 Kansas victory, sparking a 95-year, 94-game rivalry that would eventually earn national respect as more than just a little in-state feud.
"From the very first it was evident that the Farmers were outclassed as a team," read the 1902 article. After a week of rainy weather, the players and the crowd of spectators expected a saturated field, but the field—and the team—was in fine form.
The next year, news about the chancellor again rivaled the game story for space as Chancellor Strong traveled to St. Louis to inspect the area reserved for the Kansas Educational Exhibit at the World's Fair.
It wasn't until 1908 that coverage of the K-State game started to be substantial. That year, admission to the game was $1, and automobile and carriage space was free.
The price of general admission went down to 75 cents in 1912. Other news stories explained the benefits and side effects of the new typhoid vaccination that the School of Medicine had just received.
During the second half of the game that year, the Jayhawks managed to keep the Wildcats one and a half yards from the goal for three downs, winning 19-6.
In 1917, the papers were filled with news and predictions of World War I. Christmas presents to soldiers in France had to be mailed no later than Nov. 15, the articles warned. Although male enrollment at the University was down because of military service, female enrollment was climbing.
Despite the worries of war, 1,000 fans traveled with the 24 members of the football team to Manhattan on a special train (roundtrip
Above: Guard Emile Brunner, captain and quarterback Arthur Pooler and tackle Prentiss Donald, also known as "The Invincible Trio," pose before Kansas' 28-0 victory against Kansas State in 1905. Below: Kansas running back Delvin Villanueva rushes the ball against Kansas State in the Jayhawks 25-18 victory. The 1973 Jayhawks finished the season 7-4-1 and played in the Liberty Bowl.
fare: $3.50).
The only touchdown of the game came when Kansas' captain Swede Nielsen dove over the goal line with 30 seconds left in the game. The "Thundering Thousand" was there to cheer him on. Slowly, the competition was growing into a great rivalry.
Then came a flu epidemic.
World War I caused many problems in the world of college athletics. In 1918, coach Jay Bond wondered if there would be a football season at all.
Missouri's team was unable to play the traditional Thanksgiving Day game, so K-State filled in. Kansas won 13-7.
A crowd of 9,000 watched Kansas win 21-7
Oct. 29, 1921, marked a new era in Kansas athletics. That was the day of the Kansas-Kansas State contest that year—and the day of the first game to be played in Memorial Stadium.
"With a bewildering combination of passes and fake bucks and runs, the Kansas 11 played the Aggie men off their feet from the starting whistle and scored in the first four minutes of play," reported "The University Daily Kansan."
Not every year was so victorious for the Javhaws.
In 1936, Kansas had a total of 14 yards in the annual game, compared to K-State's 215. In the second quarter, Kansas gained a single yard. A pass during the last 25 seconds of play gave the Jayhawks their only points. K-State won the game. 26-6.
Even though the actual game wasn't that great, the spirit surrounding the contest was festive. Kansas students marched down the main street of Manhattan before and after the zame.
"Counting on Old Man Weather to give them a square deal, the students are planning to swarm Manhattan Saturday and rush the students of the grass college into the corners with a pep rally that will singe the hairs off their prize cattle," read one "University Daily Kansan" story.
Any students caught on the K-State campus would undergo the same treatment—their heads would be shaved.
The cattle comment wasn't just playing on a stereotype. The K-State livestock was often the target of pranks by Kansas students, who would shear the animals.
That year, after incidents of damage, the men's student governments of both schools agreed to enforce a gentlemen's agreement that had been created seven years before.
In 1929, it seemed the pranks had gone too far.
"(The incidents) reached a climax when the cow-college boys mistook a carload of wandering Wamego high school students for 'K men," read "The University Daily Kansan." "The high school boys won the battle-royal which ensued with a vengeance. The gentlemen's agreement followed."
The rivalry had come into its own by 1936.
Stories of the most recent resurrection of the gentlemen's agreement shared the pages with articles about the growing political troubles in Europe. An editorial expressed concern about the latest revolts in Spain and about Hitler negotiating with England, guaranteeing the status quo in the West in exchange for a free hand in the East.
Within a few years, another world war would again invade the football season.
In 1942, Kansas won two games, against K- State and Washington.
In front of 7,000 Homecoming spectators, the Jayhawks won, 19-7. Kansas had 161 yards rushing and 83 yards passing for the game; K-State had 50 yards rushing and 91 yards passing.
Later that evening, a Freshman Frolic dance was held at Hoch Auditorium. Students apparently thought the floor was too sticky to dance on, and some snuck in wax and covered the floor with it.
Forrest C. "Phog" Allen was furious when he found out about it—Hoch was home to the basketball team at the time, as well as the site of training servicemen. These activities were canceled until the wax was cleaned up.
"I do not mind basketball practice being held up," Allen said. "But it is more serious when the training of 800 sailors has to operate under such a handicap."
The war affected more than just those in the military corps. A coffee ration was announced the same day that the K-State game was reported. Each person over the age of 15 was allotted one pound every five weeks — a little more than one cup a day.
In 1954, Kansas lost all 10 of its games. But when it played in Manhattan, it lost fighting. Despite a total of 13 offensive yards in the first half (183 in the second), the "Hawks held K-State to an eight-point lead for three quarters of the game. Eventually, Kansas lost, 6-28.
See SHOWDOWN on page 5A