KU bowls over BYU

By Kurt Caywood     Dec 26, 1992

HONOLULU It was a Mele Kalikimakathat’s Hawaiian for a Merry Christmasfor Kansas’ football team in the Aloha Bowl.

The Jayhawks, making their first bowl appearance in 11 years, pulled out their first bowl victory in 31 years Friday, downing Brigham Young, 23-20.

“I think it must have been an exciting game for the spectators here, as well as the national viewing audience on ABC,” KU coach Glen Mason said. “I was really proud of my players for hanging in there.”

Mason wasn’t the only Jayhawk voicing his pride.

“(The Aloha Bowl) provides us with enormous exposure,” KU Chancellor Gene Budig said. “Twenty-two million people are watching. It gives us a unique opportunity to showcase our whole university and its programs.”

Dan Eichloff kicked a 48-yard field goal with 2:57 left to put Kansas ahead, and Charley Bowen, a senior strong safety from Lawrence, intercepted a pass less than a minute later snuff out BYU’s hopes.

“So many things went through my mind,” Bowen said. “Everybody was pounding on me. I remember saying, ‘This really is paradise.'”

It was paradise, too, for Mason, who, for the third time this season, earned an on-field water bath from his players.

“Needless to say, we’re ecstatic,” Mason said. “We’re not a program that’s spoiled yet. We get excited about every little thing, except this pouring water on the old coach is getting a little old.”

If Dana Stubblefield wasn’t involved in the drenching, he probably should have beenhe did just about everything else. For his efforts, Stubblefield was voted KU’s most valuable player.

“This is the best game I played at the University of Kansas,” said Stubblefield, a senior defensive tackle. “I had four or five sack, five or six hurries. It was on national TV. Everybody back home was watching. It means a lot to me.”

The KU football team is scheduled to arrive back in Lawrence on Sunday. The Jayhawks’ charter is scheduled to arrive at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Trans World Airlines terminal at the Kansas City International Airport. Team members who aren’t leaving directly from the airport to go home for the rest of the holiday break will take a bus to Lawrence and arrive at the Burge Union at about 9 a.m. There’s no official rally planned, but Margey Frederick, wife of KU athletic director Bob Frederick, said fans may are welcome to show their support by cheering the team’s return.

Kansas’ basketball team arrived here Friday for the Rainbow Classic. The Jayhawks open on Sunday night against Jackson State.

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