Edward Robison/Journal-World PhotoIn its first 114 years of football, Kansas University played in nine bowl games.
The Jayhawks, who played in the Tangerine Bowl in December, hope to become the first team in school history to make back-to-back postseasons.
When senior defensive end David McMillan takes his Tangerine Bowl ring out of its box, it gives him added motivation.
“I see that, and I see all the things we got last year,” he said, “and I want to go out and work hard and get something even better.”
While college athletes aren’t allowed to accept gifts — per NCAA rules — during the season, they legally rake in the loot at bowl games. The Jayhawks received numerous items — including sweat suits, Nike shoes, Nike sunglasses, two watches and camcorders — during their trip to Orlando, Fla.
But the award college football players covet most is the bowl ring, and the Jayhawks received theirs in June when they returned to campus for summer workouts.
“I was very excited,” McMillan said. “I was pleased to finally see it. It took forever to get here. Once I got it, I had to wear it. I don’t wear it a lot. It’s more of a special-occasion thing.”
While transfers Gary Heaggans (Purdue), Gabriel Toomey (Oklahoma) and Matt Thompson (Air Force) made bowl trips with their previous teams, it was the first major-college bowl for the majority of the Jayhawks.
“I had a bowl ring from junior college, but it wasn’t nearly as nice as a the one I received here at Kansas,” said senior center Joe Vaughn, who played in the Red River Bowl for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. “I was very excited. It was a great day.”
Don’t expect to see the Jayhawks flashing their new hardware on campus.
“I try not to wear it too much,” senior lineman Tony Coker said. “I’ll wear it out to church or out to dinner if I’m dressed up. It’s something that’s been a lifelong dream of mine, so I try not to take it out of the box as much as possible.”
While the $299 rings — under NCAA rules, the maximum price is $300 — meant a lot to players, some of the Jayhawks didn’t keep theirs.
“I gave it to my parents,” senior kicker Johnny Beck said. “I gave them my bowl watches and everything. I figured I’d either break them or loose them. I’ll keep them away until I can really appreciate them.”
To reach the postseason again, Kansas will have to overcome a schedule that ranks among the nation’s most difficult.
“I don’t have to take the ring out to think about what we have to do,” Coker said. “It’s a lot of sacrifice and hard work, and I think everybody on the team realizes that.”
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Coming up: Kansas will have a single practice today before its final two-a-day workout Wednesday. The Jayhawks will take a break from practices Thursday, the first day of fall classes. KU’s next open practice will be 4 p.m. Friday at the field behind Anschutz Pavilion.
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Mangino chat: KU coach Mark Mangino will answer questions from kusports.com readers at 3 p.m. today.
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Whittemore on injured list: Former Kansas quarterback Bill Whittemore has been placed on the injured-reserve list by the Peoria Pirates. Whittemore isn’t actually injured, but the Arena League 2 team, which picked up the former Jayhawk for postseason insurance, hasn’t needed his services. Whittemore has practiced with the team but has not suited up. The Pirates will play Saturday at Tulsa in the AF2 semifinals.
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