University Daily Kansan / Friday, April 28, 1980
29
Athletic Department honors a faithfully devoted fan
by Gene King Special to the Kansar
Special to the Kansan
For the last half-century, Bob Nelson has
university of Kansas football and basketball
Dating back 40 years, Nelson has not missed a home football or basketball contest. This undying devotion to KU athletes has inspired the Old Jayhawk from the Athletic Department.
In those 40 years Nelson has seen two KU basketball teams win the national title, has become familiar with many prominent coaches, and has seen the atmosphere of college athletics change
For the past 30 years, Nelson has worked in the division of continuing education as a program manager. He is proud of his association with the University, and on Tuesday, a ceremony honoring University employee Roberts is being held by the University for his years of service.
Nelson has worked in the same capacity since Fall 1959.
"I'm basically a P.R. man," he said.
"When a group wants to have a conference or ask for a guest speaker, I get it all set up for them."
Nelson enrolled at KU in Fall 1940, but his college class was cut off World War II. He worked full-time.
Nelson, also known as Nellie, was first introduced to KU athletics in the late 1980s when he attended Lawrence High School. His mother, a widow, wanted her children to attend college. The easiest way to ensure this, he said, was to move to a college town.
As he pulls out the media guide for the 1988-89 men's basketball team to look up some dates, he said, "Yeah, they claim I do something as an athlete than I do continuing education."
The Old Jayhawk traveled the oceans as a merchant marine from 1944-47. He returned to Lawrence in 1947 where he went to work for what is now called the Sunflower Hercules army ammunitions plant outside DeSoto.
Almost a decade after his first stint in college, Nelson returned to KU in 1949. This
Bob Nelson
'V
You name any big name in KU
athletics, and I knew him.'
was the true start of his devotion to KU athletics.
"I was sports editor on the Kansan along with Ray Soldan from 1950-53, and this enabled me to be close to the athletes and coaches," Nelson said. "I think that is why I am closer to the players and coaches of that time than any other."
"You name any big name in KU athletics, and I knew him."
and Knew T
Lolette, Dave Robisch, Gaye Layers and Dean Smith, now the coach of the University of North Carolina basketball team.
of North Calhoun. The Old Yankee can't say enough about his relationship with the All-American Lovellette. Last year, when the basketball star was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame, Bobby, as Lovellette calls him, witnessed the induction.
induction
I was a moment I will never forget."
Nelson said. "Chyde is such a great friend,
and to be a part of this with him is one of the
finest moments I've had."
Last season when the KU men's basketball team traveled to play Duke University, Nelson went along, but not just to see the Jayhawks play.
The next day, up the read from Duke in Chapel Hill, the Tarheels played Wake Forest. The Old Jayhawk went to the North Carolina-Wake Forest game as the personal guest of Coach Smith.
One highlight of his devotion was seeing all six games the 1988 National Championship basketball team played elicited to the title, including the 83-79 victory over the University of Oklahoma to claim the crown.
Not only did Nelson see the 1988 championship, but he was a witness to the 1952 game as well. According to the Old Jayhawk, there were a lot of similarities between the two
championship squads.
"Both were led basically by one man, Lovellette in 1952 and Danny Manny last year," he said. He also said that the celebration after the 1952 contest was probably a little wilder than the hoopla last year.
championship squads.
Of course the fact that he joined into the festivities and was only 30 at the time of the 1952 celebration had no impact on his judgment, be said.
meht, he sailed.
His association with athletics at KU took on a more professional atmosphere from 1965-80. During that time he helped with the KU Broadcasting Network as a spotter and a statistician. He is proud of the fact that he worked alongside people such as Merle Harmon, Bill Griggsy and another close friend, Gary Bender.
In the 50 years that Nelson has been going to games, he estimates he has seen close to 2,000 football and basketball games. "More than anybody I know," he said.
He is sure that he has seen more practices than anyone he or anyone else might know. The Old Jayhawk attends practices of the football and basketball teams frequently.
tball and basketball tech-
 Nelson is not alone in his self-described
hobby. He has a fellow sports nut in Eleanor Womack.
"She has been my longtime lady friend and travels with me to as many games as she can," he said.
"He is red and blue through and through." Womack said. "Sports is his whole life. He gets every major sporting magazine and subscribes to five newspapers. He will turn to the sports section of every paper first to check up on what is being written about his Javahaws."
"She is very well informed in sports and is almost as bad a nut about it as I am." The old
can, "he sand."
Womack is the office manager in the Department of Special Education/Learning Disabilities in the School of Education.
She recalls when the two went to a wedding and Nelson had a transistor radio in his coat pocket with an ear phone listening to a KU football game.
Bob Nelson
"He wanted everyone to think it was just a hearing aid, but when you could see his face grimace he listened, you knew he had a game on. You could even tell if KU had just made a first down or something by watching his face," Womack said.
All of these years, though, are taking a toll on the 67-year-old Jayhawk. He admits he is not as close to the coaches as he was. Nelson says that the frequent changing of coaches and the added pressure put on them to him, which he strongly opposes, make it difficult for him to be as "into the game as much as I was 20 years ago."
"The NCAA rules take the real fan out of the game. I can't call an athlete and say, 'Hey come to KU, it is a great place.'" Nelson said.
Then, he remembers, it was legal for alumni or fans to contact a prospect student-athlete, and this Nelson did on numerous occasions.
said.
Another aspect of his connection with the
teams of the past is on a more personal level. The Old Jayahawk would invite some players to his home for pizza and conversation. The NCAA ban on this type of activity by alumni adds to the difficulty of getting to know the players. Nelson said.
players', netsor's.
In a few years the Old Jayhawk will return to extensively. He would like to work for KU until he turns 70, and then figures he will have been here long enough. He will continue to watch and root for the Jayhawks even well beyond retirement, he said.
going to.
It $couldn't be that difficult to notice if the Owl Jayhawk is at the game or not. Just look for a man dressed in a blue dress shirt with a crimson and blue tie with little Jayhawks, a blue blazer, gray slacks and wearing a blue hat, with a Jayhawk resting on top.
No matter what he does after leaving KU,
one thing he can assure is that he will be
going to KU football and basketball games.
He will be stepping out of a blue car that carries the personalized license plate," JAY-HAWK."
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