Wilt Chamberlain made a lot of friends during his trip to Lawrence for his No. 13 jersey retirement celebration.
The seemingly bigger-than-life, 7-foot-1, 275-pounder won over approximately 50 media members on the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 16, 1998. That’s when Chamberlain not only spoke at a press conference for 45 minutes, but stayed another hour for one-on-one interviews.
The following day, late in the Kansas-Kansas State basketball game, Wilt The Stilt dazzled fans by announcing he’d sign autographs after KU’s home-record tying 55th victory.
Wearing his old KU letter jacket, the 61-year-old Chamberlain held court on the court for two hours and six minutes, signing autographs and chatting with fans.
“They told me this might be pretty big and a pretty warm reception … I never had any idea it would or could be like this,” Chamberlain said that day of the hanging in the rafters of his jersey No. 13.
“Nothing this wonderful has ever happened to me before and won’t ever happen again.”
Chamberlain, who had career averages of 29.9 points and 18.9 rebounds in his KU career (1957-58), was brought to tears by the reception he received at halftime. The 16,300 fans gave Chamberlain a prolonged standing ovation, finally quieting so they could hear the Big Dipper speak.
“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 of the 1957 national title game. “It was a devastating thing to me because I thought I let the University of Kansas down and my teammates down.
“But when I came back here today and realize not the simple loss of a game, but how many people have shown such appreciation and warmth, 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!” he screamed.
KU officials had tried for years to get Chamberlain to return for a jersey retirement ceremony, finally pulling it off during KU’s 100 Years of Basketball Celebration season.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Chamberlain said. “It’s nice to be back home, and I definitely consider it home.”
Chamberlain said his long absence was not because he was upset with the university.
“KU helped me be prepared for life. I owe a lot to a lot of people here. I’m negligent in not being here sooner,” he said. “I’m a Jayhawk.”
Two of his Jayhawk teammates and closest friends — Bob Billings and Monte Johnson — say they are thankful KU was able to retire the jersey of Chamberlain prior to his death.
“When we put him back in car to take Wilt to the airport, he had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘Bob, a lot of good things have happened to me. This is the greatest single day of my life,'” Billings said Tuesday.
“You think about the timing of his being here and the blessing of that, it at least makes you feel there was something right about that whole ceremony,” Johnson said Tuesday. “That’s one event that obviously took place when no one knew how special it would be. When you are taken away from this earth so quickly, those events become more meaningful.”
It was a weekend few around KU will forget.
“He couldn’t have been a more gracious person. Everything he did seemed golden at the time — to wearing the old letter jacket and staying three hours and 18 minutes so everyone could get his autograph,” KU athletics director Bob Frederick said.