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The following is a list of quotes made about Danny Manning:
“I can’t imagine a college player ever being better than him or accomplishing more than he did. To have this in Kansas City — so close to KU — I think it’s well deserved.”
— Former KU coach Larry Brown
“This is a great honor, one that certainly had to happen. Only a handful of guys impacted the game more than he had during his time in college.”
— KU coach Bill Self
“People think it’s Michael Jordan. The best player I ever played against was Danny Manning. Every day in practice for two years.”
— Former KU teammate Mark Randall
“He was a down-to-earth guy. He would give you the shirt off his back.”
— Former KU teammate Otis Livingston
“He was one of the best players to ever step on the court. He was always one of the hardest workers on the team regardless of how talented he was or how popular he was.”
— Former KU teammate Archie Marshall
“Everybody liked him. He would joke with you and laugh with you. At the same time, in practice, he was going to dunk on you. To this day, if I need something I’m going to call him and he’ll help out.”
— Former KU teammate Marvin Mattox
“He was so humble that I actually became a fan of his. And being a player myself, I can’t say that I’m a fan of too many other players. He never made us feel like he was the man and we were the baggage.”
— Former KU teammate Scooter Barry
“In my book, I wrote Danny was one of the greatest to ever play in college. He was at the head of the class. What he did just carrying that Kansas team on his back his senior year was remarkable.”
— ESPN’s Dick Vitale
“He’s an inspiration to me. He did so much for me.”
— Former KU forward Darnell Jackson
“There’s been a heck of a lot of college players over the last 75 years. That’s a huge honor. Being one of the best ever to play the college game is pretty cool.”
— KU center Cole Aldrich
“Had he not gotten hurt in the NBA, you’re probably looking at a Top 50 (all-time) player. He always seemed to make everyone around him better.”
— Former OU center Stacey King
“He had a great college and pro career and now is distinguishing himself as a college coach.”
— Former KU teammate Mike Maddox
“He was the best teammate I ever had.”
— Former KU teammate Kevin Pritchard
Behind the Lens: Game Over April 19, 2012
Jeff Withey says he considered leaving early April 9, 2012
Final thoughts following KU's run to national championship game April 3, 2012
Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor post-game interviews April 3, 2012
Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson: Linked through their KU careers April 2, 2012
Comments
lionhawk13 (anonymous) says…
Had the pleasure of knowing Danny, Dawn and the family since high school, even better people off the court. Been a long time, congrats Danny, you deserve it !! Your humility and loyalty will always be held close to our hearts !!! Rock Chalk!!!
jaybate (anonymous) says…
A few person accomplish so much in the game for a great organization that they stand out unmistakeably. They are its heroes.A small group of those heroes come to define these organizations. These are called its legends.Among those few legends are a tiny number with such vast reserves of dignity and humility and insight that they become living embodiments of the legacy of their organizatons. These men are its protectors, its Guardians, its Jedi to use a more recent term. These persons are revered. They are the heroes not just of the ordinary persons in the organization, but the heroes of the heroes and of the legends.When they walk in a room, there is a quietness and a serenity around them that is palpable. They seem to have an inner peace that is unshakeable and infinite. They are not aloof, but they are not altogether a part of the regular hub-bub of other persons. They are easy to approach, but others often wish to let them be out of a combination of love, veneration, respect and sympathy. We ordinaries suspect it must be very difficult simply to be these very rare persons and so, unless we have work to do with them, we tend to let them be, even as we look at them. Actually, we do not look at them, we behold them. And this occurs whether we see them at an event, a party, a restaurant, or at a laundramat, even. They are hard not to behold though, though they do not seek the spotlight and are not arrogant.
jaybate (anonymous) says…
These persons take on many tasks over the courses of their lives. Some of the tasks are mundane and some surprising. Others seem too low for them to be doing and yet in their doing them they reveal to us the essential commitment, humility and dignity that ought to be brought to all tasks. In still other tasks, after their days on the stage that brought them to our attention, they inevitably fulfill still more of their inherent greatness in unexpected ways. It seems almost as if they cannot help but be consequential, to matter, to be emblematic of something deeper that is almost always impossible to put in words. They seem to do these remarkable things almost effortless, almost inevitably, even though all who know them and speak of them, make clear that these are extraordinarily hard working and dedicated persons who struggle to accomplish what they do. These persons are connected to something greater than themselves, greater than their families, greater than their organizations, greater than their countries, and they serve it to the best of their abilities when called upon, and they maintain with dignity when not.They are such consistent and reliable persons that they can even be forgotten about at times. It is as if they are something one can count on, like the sun coming up, or night following day, as if they will always be with us, always be there when we need them.And yet they will not be among us forever. Even they have only their alotted times. And so they try to do what they can, when they can. And we try to pay them our respects whenever these moments of formal recognition arise. We try to say thank you in utterly inadqequate ways. We acknowledge that they are like us and not like us; that they have made us all better by what they have done. We can never repay these persons for having chosen to spend so much of their lives in our organization.We can simply say only that to be touched by greatness, no matter how indirectly, changes persons for the better more profoundly than can any other experience save for acting for the common good oneself.Rock chalk.
5a5quatch (anonymous) says…
Younger Jayhawk fans just don't realize how good Danny Manning was. Most of the country doesn't give him his due because his NBA career was derailed, due to injuries.He simply was an incredible talent. Think Magic Johnson. Besides Magic, I can't think of another player with size that could handle and distribute the ball like Danny Manning. He was one of the best passers in KU history, and that includes guards.When KU was having trouble bringing the ball up court in the 1988 championship game against OU's stifling defense, what did Larry Brown do? He had Danny Manning bring the ball up the court. How many 6-10 guys have you seen do this?
RICHARD143 (anonymous) says…
I have a priceless photo of Danny holding my now 27 year old son who was 5 at the time. We will keep it forever
kjohnson (anonymous) says…
Since my oldest daughter was in Danny's class, and my second daughter was only two years behind, I spent a lot of time on campus during Manning's years at KU, and he made the time spent there extremely enjoyable. Thanks, Danny, for everything, and especially for bringing in a National Championship -- one I waited for since 1952.
jhawklifer (anonymous) says…
The Magic/Danny comparisons are right on; I don't think it was a coincidence my favorite NBA player was the Magic man growing up in Lawrence. For the benefit of younger fans I was trying to think of players with similar skills of a more recent vintage. The best one I could think of was Lamar Odom:. Size- and skill-wise, very similar; Lamar probably has better range and maybe better ball handling. Danny was a better passer. Both are excellent, if not dominant, rebounders. But the thing that separates the two is the mental game; Danny must have a basketball IQ equal or greater to Jordan's, and on par with more cerebral players like Magic and Larry. Obviously, that's a chasm of a difference; Odom has been a well above-average player for years in the L, and it's clear he's a physical mismatch for just about whoever guards him, but his propensity to choke in big games (read: 2008 Finals) and other mental lapses on the court have "ceilinged" his basketball powers. At KU, Manning was like an Odom who was always in the right place at the right time, never choked in the clutch, and always made good decisions with the ball (and didn't have the pot stigma, obviously). In his KU days, Danny was even more fluid than Magic, who always had that herky-jerky quality (that probably helped more than hurt, as it must have been so disconcerting to guard). The enduring Danny image for me was repeated regularly throughout that senior season: Game clock winding down (in the 45 second shot clock era, no less), bringing the ball up the court, just waiting to make that one hesitation dribble that would allow him to initiate the offense or take it to the rack. Lamar Odom can do that, too: in the second quarter of an NBA regular season game! :)Any other modern (hopefully better) comparisons from the over 30 crowd out there? Let's make sure we get those Huskies tonight.Rock Chalk.
oklahawk123 (anonymous) says…
I would have thought Stacey King would have had more to say from a former competitor perspective.
wxhawk (anonymous) says…
I think it's awesome that someone of Danny's character and personality chose to come to KU. That makes me even more proud of my alma mater and very proud of Danny. Even though the kids won't remember him as a player, our comments about him will be justified if you played against him in scrimmage or practice. Just ask the recent players. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I guarantee there are former and current big men wanting to play like Danny.