Sixteen thousand people gathered in one place have never been more silent.
Then, two words — “I’m staying” — and Memorial Stadium erupted in celebration.
Fans who had been waiting patiently for Kansas basketball coach Roy Williams to reveal whether he would take a North Carolina coaching job screamed, exchanged hugs and high-fives and cried tears of joy.
“I’m so happy,” said Kristi Truman, a KU graduate student. “I’ve been so nervous all day. I talked to Roy last night at Allen Fieldhouse. He put his arm around me, and he was all teary-eyed. I thought he might go.”
Truman and a group of fellow die-hards wore Phog Phanatics t-shirts and stood behind a sign that said “Phog Phanatics love you Roy.”
The Rock Chalk chant echoed through the stadium between pep songs played by eight members of the KU band.
Even before Williams made his announcement, fans were sure their favorite coach would stick with Kansas.
“This is a party,” said Walt Thompson, who drove from Overland Park for the festivities. “If he called 20,000 people down here to say bye-bye, I don’t like you anymore, I’ll tear up half that turf.”
The party didn’t stop at the stadium. Local sports bars filled with people who came to watch the press conference.
At Sports Page Brewery, patrons quit drinking and eating and gave Williams a standing ovation.
“This place was crazy tonight,” said Kristina Hartman, a KU student and Sports Page manager. “Nobody bought anything. We stopped seating. Everybody was watching the TV.”
At 9:05 p.m., a Lawrence police dispatcher radioed to cops on the beat: “Information only, Roy Williams is staying.”
Kevin Pritchard, on the hours Thursday leading up to Williams’ announcement.
“That’s not the reason I made the decision, to say the least. The other coaches will have to find something else to talk about. We’ll have to see how creative they are.”
KU coach Roy Williams, on opposing coaches’ negative-recruiting tactic of telling recruits Williams would jump at the UNC job.
Even at the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, Mo., a patron stood up at the intermission of the play Miss Saigon and yelled, “Roy Williams is staying.”
Back in Lawrence, fans closed in on bleachers at the south end of the stadium as Williams walked onto the field. Children perched on their parents’ shoulders to sneak a peak. The crowd linked arms, swayed and sang along with Williams and Chancellor Robert Hemenway as the band played the KU alma mater.
Eight-year-old D.J. Harrity of Shawnee smiled as he conveyed his relief — the relief felt by all KU fans Thursday night.
“I’m just happy he’s not leaving,” he said.
— Mindie Miller’s phone-message number is 832-7154. Her e-mail address is mmiller@ljworld.com.