Self fan of new coach

By Gary Bedore     Dec 14, 2009

Nick Krug
Kansas head coach Bill Self grabs the attention of his players during the second half against UCLA, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 at Pauley Pavilion. Self is about to embark on the recruitment trail for most of the month of July.

Kansas University basketball coach Bill Self and new football coach Turner Gill chatted on the phone before Saturday’s KU-La Salle holiday hoops game in Kansas City’s Sprint Center.

“Lew made it possible,” Self said of the communication set up by athletic director Lew Perkins. “We probably talked for five minutes. I congratulated him. I told him of the excitement we have for him coming on board.

“He said he was looking forward to being at the (basketball) games. I’m sure he’ll be at our game against Michigan (Saturday, 11 a.m.), if his schedule allows. I told him I was looking forward to hearing the applause (when he’s introduced at halftime) all the way back to our locker room.”

Word leaked Saturday that University at Buffalo coach Gill had been hired to replace Mark Mangino as KU’s football coach.

Perkins officially confirmed the hire Sunday and revealed plans for today’s 11 a.m. news conference at Anderson Family Football Complex.

Self has a prior speaking engagement for charity in Kansas City, thus will be unable to attend.

So Self took the opportunity Sunday to laud the 47-year-old Gill, who played quarterback at Nebraska when the 46-year-old Self played point guard at Oklahoma State.

“He was arguably on the best college team ever his senior year,” Self said of 1983, when the Cornhuskers fell one point shy of winning the national championship. NU lost to Miami, 31-30, in the Orange Bowl.

“That team had (Mike) Rozier and (Irving) Fryar and Tom Rathman at fullback if I’m not mistaken. I remember watching him, sure,” Self added of Gill. “Our Oklahoma State team played him a good game.”

Nebraska tripped Okie State, 14-10, in Stillwater during the 1983 campaign.

“He was a great, great player,” Self said. “Anybody who can finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting is a great player. I’m sure he’ll be a great addition to our athletic department. He knows the area (for recruiting). I look forward to working with Turner. I’ve heard nothing but good things from a variety of people about him. I’m looking forward to seeing our entire fan base embrace him.”

Of his own players, Self said: “Our guys will always support him. Certainly as long as I’ve been here … we had one bad episode (with fights between football and basketball players). Except for that, we’ve had a great relationship with football. We’ll continue to support them and they us. To me, supporting each other is part of the college experience. It’s what makes it so exciting to be part of college athletics.”

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