The school's sports teams wearing crimson and royal blue are called the Jayhawks. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, and in the Big XII Conference.In NCAA DI play, the Jayhawks participate in basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, rowing, soccer (women only), softball, swimming (women only), tennis (women only), track, and volleyball (women only).
Football
KU Football dates from 1890. While not a national powerhouse like KU's basketball team,
the Jayhawk football team has had notable alumni including Gale Sayers, a two
time All-American and played for the Chicago Bears and John Riggins, an All-American and played for the Washington Redskins. KU played in the Orange Bowl
twice: 1948 and 1968.
Basketball
The men's basketball team is a perennial national contender, even though their last national championship was in 1988. In addition, Allen Fieldhouse
is considered one of the greatest places to play basketball in the nation. Kansas has counted among its coaches Dr. James Naismith (the inventor of basketball), Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
Phog Allen (sometimes dubbed "Father of basketball coaching"), and Detroit Pistons coach Larry
Brown. Ironically, Naismith is the only Kansas coach to have a losing record for his tenure in Lawrence.The Jayhawks have won 4 national championships. The 1922 and 1923 championships were retroactively awarded by the Helms Foundation in 1936.
The 1952 and 1988 championships were won in the
NCAA
tournament. They have the third most all-time wins in NCAA history, behind Kentucky and North Carolina. The coaches most responsible for Kentucky and North Carolina's
lead in wins are Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, the two coaches with the most wins in NCAA history. They were both players for Kansas under Phog
Allen. In addition, several of Smith's assistant coaches became head coaches at KU, including Roy Williams, Larry Brown, and Dick
Harp.
- 1940-Finalist
- 1952-Champion
- 1953-Finalist
- 1957-Finalist
- 1971-Final Four
- 1974-Final Four
- 1986-Final Four
- 1988-Champion
- 1991-Finalist
- 1993-Final Four
- 2002-Final Four
- 2003-Finalist
- Dr. James Naismith 1898-1907
- Dr. Forrest "Phog" Allen 1907-1909, 1920-1956
- W.O. Hamilton 1909-1919
- Dick Harp 1956-1964
- Ted Owens 1964-1983
- Larry Brown 1984-1988
- Roy Williams 1988-2003
- Bill Self 2003-present
- Phog Allen University of Kansas Coach
- Dean Smith University of North Carolina Coach
- Adolph Rupp University of Kentucky Coach
- Ralph Miller Oregon State University Coach
- Wilt Chamberlain Basketball Player
- Clyde Lovellette Basketball Player
- Lynette Woodard Basketball Player
- Paul Pierce Boston
Celtics
- Raef LaFrentz Boston Celtics
- Kirk Hinrich Chicago Bulls
- Drew Gooden Cleveland Cavaliers
- Scot Pollard Indiana Pacers
- Jacque Vaughn New Jersey Nets
- Nick Collison Seattle Supersonics
- Greg Ostertag Sacramento Kings
- Billy Thomas New Jersey Nets