SPORTS
University Daily Kansan / Monday, September 30.1991
9
Mason's dedication pavs off for Kansas football
By David Mitchell
Kansan Sportswriter
Glen Mason walks quickly through the football office.
Hehasnotime forpleasantries. He's runninglate again
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he says without stooping.
His desk is cluttered with the mail. About 20 letters a day come to his office. There are also about 20 telephone messages.
"What a mess," he says with disgust.
He nods toward his corner office at Parrott Athletic Center, and his visit is complete.
At 4 p.m. it has already been a long
time, but it is nowhere near quit
tending time.
Mason, 41, wakes up every morning at 5.15. The daily run with the neighbors starts at 5.45.
Returning him, he takes his golden retriever, Gonzo II, for a walk.
He showers, changes, eats and gets to work before 7:30.
At 84m., he meets with the 10coachs, five graduate assistants, trainer, weight coach and administrative help to help him manage about 100 players.
"When you look at the total operation,
'Ivegad a small company I'm runn-
ing.'
He remains in meetings until at least noon.
"Sometimes he doesn't get to lunch at all." Mason's secretary says.
His secretary, Marge Hazlett, a 25-year veteran of the Kansas football office, has worked for six different head coaches. Mason is her favorite.
"He expects a lot, but that's the way it should be," she says. "He keeps you on your toes."
After lunch, the coach spends an hour returning phone calls before player meetings begin at 3:15.
The team practices from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
After practice, Mason makes recruiting calls, watches game films or prepares game plans.
"He never gets home before 10 o'clock. Hazelt says."
The competitor
"My brother was a very determined young boy," Linda Penney, Mason's older sister-sister.
"He was strong-willed even then." Penney remembers a Mason that is hard to envision.
"My mother was very reluctant to let him play football." she says. "She was afraid he would get hurt.
Mason did not play organized football until he was in ninth grade.
He was a fast learner.
Mason earned All-State honors at Colonia High School in New Jersey before being recruited to Ohio State by then assistant coach Lou Holtz.
"By the time he was in eleventh grade, he was an excellent football player. 'Pennev saves.'
However, Mason broke an ankle before the beginning of his senior season at Ohio State.
*Coaching was just something that happened because he couldn t play plyo*
Mr. Intensitv
Mason's intense approach has won the respect of his players.
"I've heard about the hours he puts in, and can't imagine it because only a part of it," senior offensive tackle Christopher Perez says. "His desire to win is something a lot of people can't comprehend."
That desire exploded in the New Mexico State game when a time out was called.
He wanted to make an imp session.
"I didn't want that to happen again," he says.
Mason threw down and kicked his headset, reducing it to spare parts.
Back in the office, the fire is gone.
His blue eyes are peaceful. His feet are
propped up on his desk.
Golden Patal Ruel, offensive coordinator, says the thing that sets Mason apart from other coaches is his ability to balance his work and his family.
've been around football coaches that just shut their families out." Ruel says. "That's wrong. Heknowthere is a time to crank up the intensity and a time to ease off it. You can't be an intense individual 24 hours a day."
The family man
Achieving that balance is not always easy.
Sally Mason, the coach's wife of 19 years, says the intensity often comes home with him.
"He approaches my house cleaning that way," she says with a laugh. "If you're fighting a cold, you've got to wear a mask, the pain and get the house cleaned."
"He plavs to win — alwavs."
The late nights at the office are common, but Mason designates Thursdays as family nights.
He heads straight home after practice. The family eats together and watches television.
"Real boring stuff," Sally says.
Real burping suit, Sally says.
Sally says her husband has always liked kids, and they have always liked him.
For Mason's son, Patrick, left guard and middle linebacker at Lawrence South Junior High School, football has won special for father and son to share.
"Even in college when we'd go out, we'll be holding someone's baby." Sally says.
Patrick, 14, stays with his father when the coach moves into Jayhawker Towers during summer two-a-day practices. He also attends practices and visits the locker room after games.
Chris, Mason's 12-year-old daughter, admits she is more of a cheerleading fan than a football fan but she was a fan in high school at the time with her dad as her brother does.
"I get jealous," she says. "I wish I
would be jealous."
Mason does make time for both children.
"Sometimes we go for walks, or we go to his office, just the two of us," Chris says. "Like those times."
Though Patrick says his dad is usually "real loose" around the house, he says the coach's tough-guy image is not isolated to the football field.
Players know that side of Mason as well as his children.
"He's strict," he says. "He's that wayathe, too."
The disciplinarian
Deral Boykin earned Big Eight Newcomer of the Year honors as a Kansas freshman in 1988. However, he was Mason, he was a discipline problem.
Mason gave a 'Emilian order to stair
over the railing. Rogan last spring
for similar rests.
In1989. Boykin was told to leave.
"I'm one of the few people held responsible for what a student does on this campus," Mason says. "I have principles."
"When I've drawn the line and set
the situations, they have to pay the
Bargain."
Mason says that before players are dismissed they usually are given a see-see card.
Mark Rowlands / KANSAN
"I try to deal with my players the same way I deal with my children," he says. "I might not always be right, but I'm pretty darn fair."
When Bob Frederick, Kansas athletic director, lured Mason to Kansas in December 1987, the first order of business was to change attitudes. He did so with his intensity and enthusiasm.
Mason has done more than a fair job of coaching, too.
Slowly, the level of play has improved with the attitudes.
A rising star
Kansas football coach Gien Mason receives about 20 letters and 20 phone calls a day at his office.
"The hardest thing in Glen's situation was the program had been devastated by attrition." Frederick says.
toured by this team. A few days later
The team had fewer than 50 scholar-
chian athletes when Mason arrived
The Jayhawks now have more than 90 scholarship athletes.
With newfound success, Mason is being mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching job at Ohio State if they make a change.
Mason's alma mater has one of the most respected college football program's in the nation.
Frederick says the department is discussing a new contract to keep MWG.
"I wouldn't say I was worried about it," Frederick says of the rumors. "I'm aware of it."
"It's a reflection of good things happening in our program. He's viewed as a rising star in the college ranks. He's to be a candidate for a lot of jobs."
By 4:30 p.m. football office traffic is backed up. Mason shows his visitor and welcomes his 4 p.m. appointment with a friendly nod toward his office.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting," he says, and disappears behind the door.
Mason confers with Golden Pat Ruel at an afternoon practice.
VOLLEYBALL
Jayhawks defeated in Big Eight match; winning streak ends
Kansanstaffreport
The Kansas volleyball team dropped its Big Eight Conference season opener to Oklahoma on Saturday in a five-game match
The Jayhawks lost the first two games of the match 5-15 and 10-15.
Coach Frankie Albitz said the team was plagued by a lack of mental focus.
Women runners win Canadian invitational
mental focus.
"They all struggled," she said. "Individually we weren't
"When you give a team the first two games it's hard to come back and beat them."
Kansas won the first two games 15-9, 15-8 and then lost the third game 14-16.
"We ended up hurting ourselves," Albitz said. "All the little things came to a head.
The Jayhawks rebounded from the loss, which ended their 15-game win streak, and defeated University of Tulsa on Sunday
The Jayhawksvs avoided a sweep in the third game by pulling out the 14-victory. Kansas went on to win the fourth game 12-7, set up their first victory of the season.
**Ontario** broke out to an early three-point lead and never looked back. Kansas pulled from one, trailing 9-10 before four seconds.
"We aren't a real big team so we have to be sharp mentally to win."
The Jayhawks will take the court again when they play defending Big Eight champion Nebraska on Wednesday at Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks went on to win the match by a convincing 15-5 margin in the fourth game.
Albitz said everyone was able to play in the victory
Bv.Jeff Kobs
Kansan Sportswriter
The Kansas women's cross country team took the Simon Fraser Invitational title Saturday at Vancouver, Canada. The team won three points short of making it a sweep.
The women, led by Julia Saul's first place win, won their second meet in New York.
The Jayhawks scored 43 points to Washington's 54. Host Simon Fraser University finished third with 65 points, followed by the University of Victory, British-Columbia and Western Washington.
Kansascoach Gary Schwartz said that the team performed well and that Saul
Sau, with ault of 17:39, was followed by Cathy Palacios, who finished eighth
"She went out and took control and was never challenged." he said.
overall with a time of 18:25.
Kristi Kloster finished 11th, followed by Daniella Dugger and Ashley Ace, who prized the trip.
Palacios said the trip was a good one but that winning it made it even better.
"We went in with the intentions of winning and we won," she said. "I was a nice [fice]."
Schwartz said the team showed positive signs, especially with its tight runners.
"I was really pleased with the fact we were nacked up in there so well." he said.
The men's race featured two top 20 teams in No. 13 Kansas and No. 14 Washington. True to the billing, the teams came out on top by three points.
Washington ended up with 33 points, compared to the Javahawk's 36.
Simon Fraser finished a distant third in the Scottish Cup. He went on to British-Columbia, Western Washington.
and the University of Victory
Schwartz said it was a good, competitive race. "Washington came really prepared to run," he said. "I think they were a little more intense than we were."
"We went to win and we just did. We came up short by a few points.
Michael Cox led the men's team, finishing second overall with a time of 25.09,1 second behind first place finisher Greg Mctcalf from Washington. Schwartz said Cox's time was one of the best ever run on the course.
Alec Bolten finished second for Kansas and seventh overall with a time of 25.37. He was followed by Sam Froese and Trevor Nelson at ninth, all separated by only 1 second.
Kienan Slate finished 14th, rounding out the top five Kansas runners.
Washington placed runners first, third and fourth and that. Schwartz said, hurt and tired. "I was very, very upset."
State said from the start it was obvious
that he would come down to Washington
and Kansas.
that has three of the top four," he said.
"We needed to bust that up."
Kansas runners not going to Canada competed in the Johnson County Community College golf tournament.
The men's team finished tied for first but came out second to Northwest Missouri State in the tie-breaker system. They took four of our runners, so they ran as individuals.
Jason Teal led the Kansas men and finished fifth overall with a time of 25, 28, and Kim Thornburg finished first with a time of 18:27 on the women's side.
Both teams will travel to Minnesota for the Minnesota Invitational on Saturday. The Kansas men will facedefending Big Eight Conference champion and winner up Iowa State. The Jayhawks will compete against 8 other teams.
Men's golf team to open season in home tourney
Fiftemen team will participate in the two-day event at Alvamar Country Club. The teams will play two rounds of 18 holes today and one round tomorrow.
The Kansas men's golf team opens its
10 fall season today with the Kansas Invi-
tale.
Kansas will field two teams and will face
Bain Eight Conference foe Nebraska.
Bain Eight Conference foe Nebraska.
Kansanstaffreport
Other teams in the tournament are Southwest Missouri State. Kent State, Wisconsin, Illinois State, Northwestern,
Wichita State, Illinois, Iowa and Memphis
Sophomore Matt Gogel, the defending Big Eight champion, said the team was ready for the season's home opener.
"We should have a tremendous advantage playing on our home course," he said. "I'll be pretty disappointed if we don't lead by the end of the day."
"I think we're at that level where we can start winning tournaments as a team. We can establish ourselves as a top 20 team."
White Sox lose; Twins win AL West
The Associated Press
TORONTO — The Minnesota Twins became the first team in major-league history to go from worst to first, clinching the American League West yesterday when Chicago White Sox lost to Seattle.
The Twins failed to wrap up the title earlier in the afternoon, losing 2-1 to Toronto. But when the White won, fall 2-1 to Seattle, Minnesota won.
Minnesota rebounded from a 74-88 season in 1990, which left them in
last place. No team had ever bounced back to finish first, but the Twins did it in taking their first division championship since winning the World Series in 1987. Atlanta, a team that came in the National League West.
The Twins heard about Chicago's loss while aboard the team bus on a trip to Hamilton, Ontario.
"We really played well after the first couple weeks of the season," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "We got into the lead, we maintained our lead and we increased our lead."
In what city and state did Kansas coach Glen Mason play high school football?
- Kansan staff members NOT eligible.
- Hansan staff members NOT eligible.
• One entry per student.
• Submit this form and/or 3x5 notecard.
• Entries must be received by 5:00 p.m., Tue., 10/8
• Drop at office or mail to - 119 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
• Winners will be notified by phone.
Answers:
Mon. ___
Tue
Tue.___
Wed.___
Thur
mn gb
Fri
Racing for the pennant
American League
West Minnesota mn gb clinched
Include: Name, address, and phone #.
National League
East Toronto 3 —
Boston - 4 1/2
West Los Angeles 6 —
Atlanta — 1
Boston — 41/2 East Pittsburgh clinched
Notes: Atlanta traded pitchers Tork Wendell and Yorkis Perez to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Mike Bielecki and catcher Bamry Bonnery yesterday.
■ mtn stands for magic number / gb stands for games behind
[Image of the Associated Times]