A long weekend of productive catharsis, healing and closure culminated Saturday with the unfurling of Wilt Chamberlain’s No. 13 basketball jersey on the south wall of Allen Fieldhouse.
If Kansas coach Roy Williams is the reigning God-in-residence at the fieldhouse, the towering Big Dipper was at least The Pope on this glittering occasion.
Relations between KU and The Stilt have appeared strained, even hostile, in the 40 years since he left before his senior season to join the Harlem Globetrotters.
Since he arrived back here this week for the jersey ceremony and a wide range of reunions with officials and former teammates such as Bob Billings and Monte Johnson, Chamberlain and everyone else has said all the right things and made all the right moves to wipe out any sense of adversity or animosity.
The stage appears set for a new and much more productive relationship with periodic direct involvement on KU’s behalf for the long-absent, sometimes critical Wilt.
For example, Friday afternoon after his news conference, Chamberlain took the time to prepare a 40-minute video on his feelings about the merits of KU and its basketball program. Not surprisingly, the piece is designed for use in recruiting and public relations. KU officials admit they can hardly wait to get the video in circulation.
After Kansas managed to hold off Kansas State, 69-62, Saturday, Chamberlain willingly and warmly signed autographs at a table set up at his request. The single line at one time seemed to stretch as far as Eudora, at least.
The Big Dipper dutifully, and cheerfully, stayed on duty -courting writer’s cramp until 5:18 p.m., a span of two hours and six minutes.
The capacity crowd gave the 1957 and 1958 KU All-American a long and standing ovation. Brushing aside tears and with a notable huskiness in his voice, he acknowledged his latest honor “with great humility.”
Just about anything the 61-year-old seven-footer did was cheered. As he walked through a tunnel with KU athletics director Bob Frederick and chancellor Robert Hemenway in preparation for the mid-court ceremony, cheers of “WILT! WILT! WILT!” erupted throughout the arena.
Everywhere he went, people snapped pictures and paused to get a glimpse of the big guy in the baseball cap, red T-shirt and long black jogging pants.
So many people stayed in their seats at halftime that the lines to the women’s rest rooms were only a fraction of what they normally are.
Later, still emotional from the occasion, the college and professional hall-of-famer remarked: “They told me it might be pretty big and a pretty warm reception . . . I never had any idea it would or could be like this. Nothing this wonderful has ever happened to me before, and won’t ever again. What a fantastic thing Kansas has here.”
Max Falkenstien, now in his 51st year broadcasting KU sports, touched on Chamberlain’s awesome Kansas and professional career.
Falkenstien called the afternoon occasion “a very special day in the 100-year history of Kansas basketball . . . At this time, chancellor Robert Hemenway and athletics director Bob Frederick along with Jerry Waugh (assistant coach when Chamberlain played here) would like to present Wilt with a piece of the original Allen Fieldhouse floor which lists many of Wilt’s achievements.”
Dick Harp, now 79, Chamberlain’s head coach at KU, has not been in peak health and was not on the court although he was at the Friday press conference.
The fieldhouse was dedicated in March of 1955 and Chamberlain played on the first court as a freshman (1955-56), sophomore and junior.
Then the visiting former superstar, perspiring heavily and wearing his actual KU letter jacket, was presented a framed replica of the No. 13 jersey he made so famous.
“And now,” Falkenstien concluded, “please direct your attention to the south wall behind the KU basketball band, where jersey No. 13 becomes a permanent Allen Fieldhouse fixture. . . . Ladies and gentleman, welcome back Wilt Chamberlain.”
Down dropped the jersey replica and the crowd again went wild.
With a slight limp and still trying to fight through some tears, Uncle Dippy (the pet name of a nephew) moved to center court. He took the microphone but had to wait while the standing crowd hooted, hollered, cheered and stomped to the point he had a hard time breaking in.
Finally. . .
“A little over 40 years ago, I lost the toughest battle in sports in losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels by one point in triple overtime,” Chamberlain said. “It was a devastating thing to me because I thought I let the University of Kansas down and my teammates down. But when I come back here today and realize not the simple loss of a game, but how many people have shown such appreciation and warmth (massive crowd reaction, tears in Wilt’s eyes, slight choke-up at the response), I’m . . . humbled and deeply honored.
“I’ve learned over the years that you must learn to take the bitter with the sweet, and how sweet this is, right here!
“I’m a Jayhawk and I know now why there is so much tradition here and why so many wonderful things have come from here, and I am now very much a part of it by being there (on the fieldhouse south wall) and very proud of it.
“Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!”
A number of former KU athletes such as John Hadl, Otto Schnellbacher (Topeka) and Al Donaghue (Kansas City) were ecstatic at the re-ignition of Chamberlain’s affection and appreciation of his three years at KU.
“I told Wilt Friday night (at a basketball gathering) that I’m sorry it took so long, but that all of us with KU loyalties will forever be grateful this finally happened,” Donaghue said. “This will focus favorable attention on KU and KU basketball, and I’m really enthusiastic about the impact his video on behalf of KU will make.”
“You couldn’t ask for a better weekend than we have had because of all this,” said Hadl, now a KU associate athletics director.
“I saw people all over just standing around or craning their necks to get a glimpse of Wilt,” Schnellbacher said. “You can’t overestimate his clout and I know he’ll wind up every bit as happy about all this as we are. I think he now realizes just how many great things happened to him because he came to KU . . . like a lot of us old-timers.
“What a day! Did you see people lining up in front of the Phog Allen statue (for which Schnellbacher helped raise funds to erect) in front of the fieldhouse? And then inside, we have this occasion. What a heritage!”
A long weekend of productive catharsis, healing and closure culminated Saturday with the unfurling of Wilt Chamberlain’s No. 13 basketball jersey on the south wall of Allen Fieldhouse.
If Kansas coach Roy Williams is the reigning God-in-residence at the fieldhouse, the towering Big Dipper was at least The Pope on this glittering occasion.
Relations between KU and The Stilt have appeared strained, even hostile, in the 40 years since he left before his senior season to join the Harlem Globetrotters.
Since he arrived back here this week for the jersey ceremony and a wide range of reunions with officials and former teammates such as Bob Billings and Monte Johnson, Chamberlain and everyone else has said all the right things and made all the right moves to wipe out any sense of adversity or animosity.
The stage appears set for a new and much more productive relationship with periodic direct involvement on KU’s behalf for the long-absent, sometimes critical Wilt.
For example, Friday afternoon after his news conference, Chamberlain took the time to prepare a 40-minute video on his feelings about the merits of KU and its basketball program. Not surprisingly, the piece is designed for use in recruiting and public relations. KU officials admit they can hardly wait to get the video in circulation.
After Kansas managed to hold off Kansas State, 69-62, Saturday, Chamberlain willingly and warmly signed autographs at a table set up at his request. The single line at one time seemed to stretch as far as Eudora, at least.
The Big Dipper dutifully, and cheerfully, stayed on duty -courting writer’s cramp until 5:18 p.m., a span of two hours and six minutes.
The capacity crowd gave the 1957 and 1958 KU All-American a long and standing ovation. Brushing aside tears and with a notable huskiness in his voice, he acknowledged his latest honor “with great humility.”
Just about anything the 61-year-old seven-footer did was cheered. As he walked through a tunnel with KU athletics director Bob Frederick and chancellor Robert Hemenway in preparation for the mid-court ceremony, cheers of “WILT! WILT! WILT!” erupted throughout the arena.
Everywhere he went, people snapped pictures and paused to get a glimpse of the big guy in the baseball cap, red T-shirt and long black jogging pants.
So many people stayed in their seats at halftime that the lines to the women’s rest rooms were only a fraction of what they normally are.
Later, still emotional from the occasion, the college and professional hall-of-famer remarked: “They told me it might be pretty big and a pretty warm reception . . . I never had any idea it would or could be like this. Nothing this wonderful has ever happened to me before, and won’t ever again. What a fantastic thing Kansas has here.”
Max Falkenstien, now in his 51st year broadcasting KU sports, touched on Chamberlain’s awesome Kansas and professional career.
Falkenstien called the afternoon occasion “a very special day in the 100-year history of Kansas basketball . . . At this time, chancellor Robert Hemenway and athletics director Bob Frederick along with Jerry Waugh (assistant coach when Chamberlain played here) would like to present Wilt with a piece of the original Allen Fieldhouse floor which lists many of Wilt’s achievements.”
Dick Harp, now 79, Chamberlain’s head coach at KU, has not been in peak health and was not on the court although he was at the Friday press conference.
The fieldhouse was dedicated in March of 1955 and Chamberlain played on the first court as a freshman (1955-56), sophomore and junior.
Then the visiting former superstar, perspiring heavily and wearing his actual KU letter jacket, was presented a framed replica of the No. 13 jersey he made so famous.
“And now,” Falkenstien concluded, “please direct your attention to the south wall behind the KU basketball band, where jersey No. 13 becomes a permanent Allen Fieldhouse fixture. . . . Ladies and gentleman, welcome back Wilt Chamberlain.”
Down dropped the jersey replica and the crowd again went wild.
With a slight limp and still trying to fight through some tears, Uncle Dippy (the pet name of a nephew) moved to center court. He took the microphone but had to wait while the standing crowd hooted, hollered, cheered and stomped to the point he had a hard time breaking in.
Finally. . .
“A little over 40 years ago, I lost the toughest battle in sports in losing to the North Carolina Tar Heels by one point in triple overtime,” Chamberlain said. “It was a devastating thing to me because I thought I let the University of Kansas down and my teammates down. But when I come back here today and realize not the simple loss of a game, but how many people have shown such appreciation and warmth (massive crowd reaction, tears in Wilt’s eyes, slight choke-up at the response), I’m . . . humbled and deeply honored.
“I’ve learned over the years that you must learn to take the bitter with the sweet, and how sweet this is, right here!
“I’m a Jayhawk and I know now why there is so much tradition here and why so many wonderful things have come from here, and I am now very much a part of it by being there (on the fieldhouse south wall) and very proud of it.
“Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!”
A number of former KU athletes such as John Hadl, Otto Schnellbacher (Topeka) and Al Donaghue (Kansas City) were ecstatic at the re-ignition of Chamberlain’s affection and appreciation of his three years at KU.
“I told Wilt Friday night (at a basketball gathering) that I’m sorry it took so long, but that all of us with KU loyalties will forever be grateful this finally happened,” Donaghue said. “This will focus favorable attention on KU and KU basketball, and I’m really enthusiastic about the impact his video on behalf of KU will make.”
“You couldn’t ask for a better weekend than we have had because of all this,” said Hadl, now a KU associate athletics director.
“I saw people all over just standing around or craning their necks to get a glimpse of Wilt,” Schnellbacher said. “You can’t overestimate his clout and I know he’ll wind up every bit as happy about all this as we are. I think he now realizes just how many great things happened to him because he came to KU . . . like a lot of us old-timers.
“What a day! Did you see people lining up in front of the Phog Allen statue (for which Schnellbacher helped raise funds to erect) in front of the fieldhouse? And then inside, we have this occasion. What a heritage!”
