Sports THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Self excited for Showcase Team to rematch Memphis in November. MEN'S BASKETBALL | 2B
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,2009
New coach is a veteran Bill Miller has spent 32 years teaching defense. FOOTBALL | 6B
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Dick Wilson, cancer survivor and former KU cross country athlete, will be participating in a 5K run-and-walk event this Sunday to benefit the Chris Anthony Brain Tumor Research Fund. After college, Wilson ranked in the top 10 for his age for 20 years in a row.In 2003, Wilson won the title of No.4 runner in the world for his age group. Wilson is currently undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor found one year ago.
Jerry Wang/KANSAN
Previous cross country member endures challenges
Former star runs for a cure
BY SAMANTHA ANDERSON sanderson@kansan.com
Dick Wilson is and has always been a man of many dreams.
"It was my dream in junior high school to go to high school and find a sport in which I could participate and earn a varsity letter," Wilson said. But it wasn't until his freshman year of high school in gym class that he figured out what that sport was.
Sixty years later, he still remem bers when it happened
"The teacher had us all run a half mile on the track." Wilson
'HEAD FOR THE CURE' REGISTRATION
WHAT: SK run that benefits cancer research
WHEN: Online registration is online until Sept. 11.
Late registration will be available at Garry Gribble's Running Sports.
WHERE: Online registration at www.headforthecure.org
said. "So we ran that half mile and I beat everybody in the class."
www.headforthecure.org
That was when Wilson figured out he was a runner. What Wilson didn't know was that he would earn more than a Varsity letter; he would acquire a whole base-
After battling brain cancer and a hip injury that ended Wilson's competitive career, he'll return to Lawrence to run.
ment's worth of medals, plaques and trophies.
Wilson had a lot of success running at the high school level, attracting the attention of college scouts throughout the country. Originally, Wilson believed he would be going to Syracuse, a college in his home state of New York. But one day a family in his hometown, who knew about Kansas'
This Sunday, Wilson will be participating in Lawrence's first 'Head For the Cure 5K.' He hopes that by entering the contest it will raise awareness of brain tumors.
HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE
track program, asked Wilson if he would be interested in running there. Wilson had never even heard of the University of Kansas, but he kept an open mind. Then the new track coach at KU, Bill
"He told me during our conversation that the Kansas cross-country team was going to win a NCAA cross-country title and that the
participate in its cross-country and track program. In 1953 Wilson was part of Kansas' only cross-country team to ever win a national championship. In that same year the four-mile relay team
PAGE 1B
"He's enthusiastic for the race and the good it does."
four-mile relay team was going to set an American record." Wilson said. "And he wanted me to be part of that."
Easton kept his word. Wilson decided to come to Kansas and
JOAN WILSON Dick Wilson's wife
broke the American record
"Dick was a very good runner." Larry Stroup, former Kansas runner from 1954-1957 said. "He was a member of the "Four Horsemen."
The 'Four Horsemen' was a nickname the cross-
country and track teams gave for its record-breaking runners, Wes Santee, Art Dalzell, Lloyd
SEE WILSON ON PAGE 3B
FOOTBALL
Changes prove beneficial to player and team
BY JAYSON JENKS
jjenks@kansan.com
Junior Brad Thorson is changing once again. But don't worry, this change isn't as dramatic as those lurking in his past.
But first we must focus on Thorson's latest transition: from backup center to starting left guard. It's a move that's both large and small.
Those moves and decisions the ones that eventually landed Thorson at Kansas last season are a big part of his story.
In the bigger picture, it shuffles Kansas' depth chart and finalizes the starting offensive line. In terms of on-field adjustments, the difference between center and guard is rather minimal.
thorson only recently moved to guard after spending the beginning of his career at center. He says he's still a work in progress and he's only beginning to feel comfortable at his new position. Then he says something that captures his college football career.
"It'd be a lot tougher to go from center to quarterback," coach Mark Mangino said.
Follow Kansan football writer Jayson Jenks at twitter.com/ jaysonJenks.
"I'm no person to shy away from competition or I wouldn't be in this game," Thorson said.
But before the start of the 2008 season, the drill served as the tipping point for Thorson's time at Wisconsin.
There's a drill in the Wisconsin football program that places two players against each other. It's a simple drill, one that's meant to mold toughness.
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Thorson and defensive end Dan Moore were engaged in the Badger Drill — a one-on-one
SEETHORSON ON PAGE 3B
Weston White/XANSAN
Junior offensive lineman Brad Thorson congratulates senior quarterback Todd Reesing after a touchdown run Saturday against Northern Colorado. Thorson, no stranger to change, started the season as left guard.
COMMENTARY
Football schedule spurs critics once again
A year and a half ago, after coaching Kansas to an Orange Bowl victory, Mark Mangino declared the critics silent. They had raised questions about Kansas' strength of schedule, casting doubt upon the legitimacy of a Kansas team which "hadn't beaten anybody." Virginia Tech provided the scalp Kansas needed to vindicate its rise in the rankings to the sports punditocracy.
But, in sports, vindication has a shelf life of about one off-season. Quickly, it expires, and gives way to new questions — or, often enough, old questions asked again.
Kansas wraps up nonconference play by welcoming Southern Miss to Lawrence. And, make no mistake about it, Southern Miss is pretty good. But the Golden Eagles don't figure to get within shouting distance of the Top 25 this year, nor are they a marquee name.
One glance at the schedule for the fall had critics giving the "Kansas hasn't beaten anybody" trope a fresh coat of paint. "They" preemptively crafted their criticisms, ready to be cast should Kansas get off to its presumed 6-0 start.
But hey, after the clash with the Miners, Kansas' next game is against a BCS conference opponent. That's something. It might even be a note-worthy something, if the opponent in question wasn't Duke. Duke, which lost to Richmond—an FCS team, albeit a good one—last week. Duke, where the best football players are bas ketball players.
Unfortunately, college football's opening week didn't temper that perception. If anything, it may have strengthened it.
Kansas opened by dispatching of Northern Colorado as comfortably as should have been expected. Which is fine. The Bears were brought to Lawrence to give the jayhaws a chance to get live game action against an unthreatening opponent.
Mission accomplished. Tuneup games are a time-honored tradition in college football, especially when the following week promises a road trip.
So to what ominous environment do the Jayhawks travel this coming weekend? The Sun Bowl, home of the Miners of University of Texas at El Paso. You don't just walk into that venue, against that team, and expect to win. Unless you're Buffalo. In which case, you just won there last week. You could also be UT Austin, New Mexico State, or Tulsa, all of which did the same last season.
A marquee victory would do the Jayhawks good, given their auspicious start to Big 12 play. Kansas opens at home against Iowa State, then plays Colorado in Boulder. If all goes as expected, Kansas should be undefeated at the season's halfway point for the second time in three years. Just expect to hear those voices Mangino declared silent resume their critical chorus.
Thankfully, unlike 2007, opportunities for Kansas to legitimize its success to a skeptical nation fill the season's second half. Beginning with an Oct. 24 showdown against damaged-but-dangerous Oklahoma, KU faces a six-game gauntlet that figures to provide the Jayhawks with a number of chances to do some critic silencing. Until then, kick back, stretch your legs; we'll wake you up when the games really begin.
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Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
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