Self addresses KU football team on opening day of preseason camp

By Matt Tait     Aug 4, 2016

The start of preseason football camp always comes with a lot of routine, more than a little excitement and a vibe that speaks to both the promise and the pressure of the fast approaching season.

And while that often means a lot of the same for the players who have been through it before, every once in a while there’s something new that pops up.

The Jayhawks received a special treat at the beginning of this year’s camp on Wednesday, when KU basketball coach Bill Self addressed the team on Day 1.

I haven’t seen or heard much about the specifics of Self’s talk, but, judging by the first-hand accounts that popped up on Twitter, it seems like the 14th-year hoops coach emphasized the importance of the Jayhawk family and winning.

The football program, as you know, has not done much of the latter in the past several years. But Self on the other hand certainly has.

Obviously there is a dramatic difference between what it takes to win a game of basketball and what it takes to win a game of football, but the concept of promoting a winning culture can be strikingly similar no matter what program you’re talking about.

I’m guessing that was the focal point of Self’s speech and that he promoted things like attitude, character, effort, pride and passion and shared how he believed all of those elements, along with things like attention to detail, sound fundamentals and high standards, can impact a program.

With 385 wins against just 83 losses in his first 13 seasons at KU, few are as qualified as Self to talk about winning. And the fact that he took time out to address David Beaty’s football program says a great deal about the camaraderie and family vibe that currently exists in the KU athletic department.

Self has long been a strong supporter of Kansas football and has never shied away from sharing his beliefs about how important having a winning program is to both the university and the basketball program.

It’s cool to see him take an active role in trying to help create that instead of just expecting someone else to handle it and waiting for it to happen.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.