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SPORTS / WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
'I'm a Jayhawk' lyrics face changes
BY KIRSTEN KWON kkwon@kansan.com
One thing you don't mess with as a Jayhawk is tradition.
But in the wake of conference
realignment, it's hard not to think about revising a nearly century-old fight song with lyrics like "Talk about the Sooners, the Cowboys and the Buffers," and "Talk about the Wildcats and those Cornhuskin boys."
Now that Nebraska and
versities.
But one thing will stay the same: Students will have a say in the lyrics.
"We still want to sing I'm a jay jay jay Jayhawk,'so to mess with it too much would probably disturb a lot of folks."
Colorado have left the Big 12, "I'm a Jayhawk" will be revised to remove references to the Buffaloes and Cornhuskers.
Jennifer Sanner, senior vice president of the Alumni Association, said as part of Homecoming Week, Oct.
JENNIFER SANNER
Senior vice president of the
Alumni Association
First created in 1912 by George "Dumpy" Bowles, a student looking to leave a legacy at the University, the song eventually caught on and became popular in 1920. It was revised in 1958 for the Big 8 conference teams. Now, the song will be tweaked again to match the remaining Big 12 uni-
18-24, there will be a contest giving students a chance to re-write the lyrics. The Oct. 23 Jayhawk Jingle event, which has been a singing competition in the past, will also become the platform for students to present their revised version of the song to a
panel of judges.
"It just seemed like that would be the natural home for the event and we really wanted to involve students because they carry on the tradition," Sanner said.
Though submissions will include newly written parts of the song, much of the fight song will go untouched. The revised areas will be concentrated to one part of the verse and two lines of the chorus.
"We still want to sing I'm a jay jay jay Jayhawk, so to mess with it too much would probably disturb a lot of folks," Sanner said. "But we probably don't want to sing about Nebraska or Colorado come 2012."
The song will not be officially changed until the conference changes in 2012.
Taylor Gardner, a senior from Leawood, said modifying the lyrics wouldn't change the song for him at all.
"Nobody sings the lyrics so it only matters to me if the song stays the same," Gardner said.
For those who think changing the lyrics will make a difference, Sanner said to rest assured; other traditions will not be affected by league changes. She said revising the song showed people that Jayhawk customs were strong.
"These are small changes that we envision," Sanner said. "It draws a little more attention and reminds people of our history."
Courtesy of the KU Alumni Association
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Big 12 encounters new world
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It was a harrowing and humbling experience for everybody who coaches basketball in the Big 12.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
With talk of conference realignment swirling around them, nobody at the highest administrative level where historic decisions were being made even bothered to pretend that basketball was a factor.
Football and its millions in television rights were all that seemed to matter as the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Southeastern Conference attempted earlier this month to pick off the Big 12's choice schools.
"I think most coaches realized that football generates more revenue," said Baylor coach Scott Drew. "But I think it surprised some people out there just how great the disparity level was between football and basketball."
Even the storied Kansas basketball program seemed to hold no allure. There has been talk that Kansas might have held some interest for
the Pac-10, but the league made clear it preferred Oklahoma State or Texas Tech if bringing them along would help land the nationally prominent and imminently marketable Texas and Oklahoma football brands.
"I know who makes the money for the university. I understand that," Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon said Monday during a Big 12 basketball coaches teleconference.
"The scary thing was a school like Kansas — because I played there — their tradition, and they not having a place to go. That was a little bit sobering. I think I was realistic about things. But it's our NCAA tournament that pays for the rest of sports in their championships, so that was the hard part."
For the two uncertain weeks while the Big 12 appeared to be on the brink of a breakup, the NCAA could only stand by since its rules say nothing about what conference anybody must belong to.