Former Kansas linebacker Ben Heeney, who now plays for the Oakland Raiders, watches from the sideline during the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.
With the Oakland Raiders having their bye this weekend, former Kansas linebacker and NFL rookie Ben Heeney was back in Lawrence for the first time this season to take in Saturday’s game, a 30-20 Jayhawks loss to Texas Tech.
Heeney, one of KU’s all-time leading tacklers, sat in the south end zone and addressed the team both before the game and at practice on Friday.
As the Jayhawks jogged out to the field for the second half, Heeney stood on the outside of the ropes and offered high-fives and words of encouragement.
“He’s a model for me to be like, and I think he should be a model for all the linebackers,” said sophomore linebacker Joe Dineen, who led KU with a career-high 10 tackles.
Dineen added that knowing Heeney was in attendance brought a little extra energy to KU’s defense.
“You want to perform well and prove to him that you can play, too,” Dineen said.
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.
Nick Krug
