Back to the glory days of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and early 80s, that is.

“Average is not enough,” says former Tulsa U. coach Stanley Redwine, hired in late May as replacement for Gary Schwartz, who directed the Jayhawks for 12 seasons.

“When you go to a place like Kansas you expect to win. You expect to do your best. I am a firm believer in hard work and that’s what I will put into this and expect from our student-athletes hard work. When you put in the work, things like that (championships) take place.”

Redwine brings solid credentials to KU as he takes over both KU’s women’s and men’s programs.

The 39-year-old former Arkansas All-American runner was part of 22 conference titles and nine consecutive NCAA championships in track during his 11 years as an assistant coach at his alma mater.

During the past six years at Tulsa U., he tutored the school’s first-ever participants in the NCAA meet.

So how soon will it be before KU’s men and women are winning again?

Redwine has no timetable. And he says he feels no pressure to win right away.

“I think pressure is what you make of it. I was not hired to apply pressure,” Redwine said. “It’s something where I expect the team to get better, so there is an expectancy. While at Arkansas, I don’t know I felt pressure, just a feeling I’d work as hard as I could to get it done.”

Redwine believes he can relate to athletes because of his background. A four-time All-America runner at Arkansas, the 39-year-old Redwine didn’t stop competing nationally until 1996 after running the 800 meters at the Olympic Trials.

“As a former athlete can I relate to them having a bad practice? Yes,” Redwine said. “Does it make it excusable? No,” he said. “What we want to do every day is our best.”

KU’s coach says there’s nothing better than competing for titles on the national level.

“National titles are great and exciting, but the work you put into accomplishing those things is most exciting of all,” Redwine said.

He has some rebuilding to do, particularly on the women’s side. The Jayhawks placed 11th at the league outdoor after placing 12th at league indoor last season.

The Jayhawks’ top returnee is senior pole vaulter Andrea Branson, who placed ninth at the NCAA Outdoor (13-11/2) after placing second at both the Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor.

Branson, 5-9 from Prairie Village, took center stage at last year’s Kansas Relays, clearing a school-record 13-10, barely missing three tries at 14-31/2.

“It was so awesome. Every time I came down the runway it felt like I was being carried by everybody cheering. I had never competed in a meet like that before. It’s one of the few meets where I’m going to remember the entirety of it,” Branson said of her Relays performance before more than 10,000 fans.

A five-time All-American, Branson won four meets last season after notching fifth at NCAA Indoor.

“There’s a lot of pride involved (in competing),” Branson said. “Pride in my school, my teammates, my coach, myself.”

Ashley Pyle, a senior from Dodge City, placed third in the vault in the league outdoor at 11-81/2.

Also returning is junior Andrea Bulat, who placed second at last year’s Kansas Relays in the javelin in 155-7.

Bulat, who hails from Windsor, Ontario, was ranked 19th in the country in that event a year ago. Bulat won at both the Dr. Pepper Invitational and Life University meet a year ago.

She placed third at league outdoor with a heave of 157-9.

Jennifer Foster, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, won the hammer throw and discus in separate meets.

Other returnees who had at least one victory in meets a year ago include Sarah Schraeder, a sophomore high jumper from Buhler, who placed sixth at Big 12 Outdoor; senior Sherre-Khan Blackmon, a sprinter from Houston; Brandi Taylor, a sophomore triple jumper from Keller, Texas; and Jennie Wonder, a senior hurdler from Colorado Springs.

Junior cross country standout Sara Brinkley returns. So does senior pole vaulter Ashley Feinberg.

At midsummer, KU had signed Emily Hess, distance runner, Carthage, Mo.; Jenaya Carman, high jumper, Moline, Ill.; and Abby Nielsen, hurdler, Nevada, Mo.