Courtney Kuhlen/Journal-World PhotoAt every turn, Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self seemed to bump into a piece of Jayhawk hoops history Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
“This has been awesome, seeing so many past players and coaches, and I’m sure we’ll see even more Wednesday,” said Self, one of the many speakers at an Allen Fieldhouse 50th pre-birthday bash attended by more than 700 invited guests.
The building’s official 50th birthday party will be Wednesday’s KU-Kansas State game, set for 8 p.m. at the fieldhouse.
Friday’s attendees included the current Jayhawk players and coaches, plus the likes of former KU players Jeff Gueldner, Greg Gurley, Bill Hougland, Monte Johnson, Bill Lienhard, Al Lopes, Mike Maddox, Dave Robisch, Otto Schnellbacher, Bud Stallworth, Jerry Waugh, Walt Wesley, Lynette Woodard and Steve Woodberry, to name just a batch.
Former KU coach Ted Owens was on hand, as were members of Dr. Phog Allen’s family and Martha Sue Harp, widow of former KU coach Dick Harp.
Courtney Kuhlen/Journal-World Photo“I look around the fieldhouse and see the shape it is in today … it’s a testament to either the way it was built, the way it’s been maintained or a combination of both,” said Monte Johnson, a former player from 1956 to ’59 and former KU athletic director. “This building is as good as it gets.”
The same sentiments were echoed by many.
“I hope it never changes. I hope the fabric never changes. It’s quite the place. There’s a mystique here,” said Lopes, a KU player from 1964 to ’66.
“I was here for the dedication,” said Lienhard, who played his home games at Hoch Auditorium from 1949 to ’52. The dedication game was KU’s 77-66 victory over Kansas State on March 1, 1955.
“I saw Wilt score 52 here in his KU debut (1956),” Lienhard said. “I’d say one of the most moving experiences was when Wilt came back to have his jersey retired (in 1998). That may have been the number-one moment for me. There are so many.”
Owens said: “Coaching in this building gives you an overwhelming feeling. Every day I walked on the court I wondered, ‘What did I ever do to deserve a chance to coach these great young men?”’
Former KU player Maddox remembers seeing the building empty on a recruiting visit. Nonetheless, he still was impressed.
“I sat up in section 18 with nobody here, and it felt like a real gym,” said Maddox, who played at KU from 1987 to ’91. “I’d seen Cameron Indoor (at Duke) and it was like that, but bigger. It felt like home. It is the best place to play college basketball.”
All the speakers talked about the fans making the building what it is.
“Every time I stepped on the court it felt like home,” Woodard said.
Lopes recalled the atmosphere before and during KU’s 110-73 rout of Nebraska back in 1966. It avenged KU’s only league loss that year, in Lincoln, Neb.
“The place was electric,” Lopes said.
Self said he hoped for a similar atmosphere surrounding Sunday’s 3:05 p.m. battle against Oklahoma State. Both teams enter 20-4 overall and 10-3 in the Big 12 Conference.
“We’ll be excited,” Self said. “This place will be very comparable Sunday to when Nebraska rolled into town in ’66.”
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This, that: KU senior Christian Moody (infection left knee) practiced Friday and indicated he hoped to play Sunday. … Each fan attending the game will receive a royal blue “Beware of the Phog” T-Shirt. Fans are encouraged to wear the shirt, sponsored by Hutton Farms and University National Bank, creating a “Blue Phog.”
6Sports video: Former Jayhawks reunite for fieldhouse party (02-25-05)
Fabric of the Fieldhouse (02-26-05)
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