KU, K-State fans back together again for a common cause

By Matt Tait     Oct 27, 2017

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Jeffery Clark and his father Jeff Clark were surrounded by cheering Kansas State fans Saturday afternoon. Kansas beat Kansas State 39-20 saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Back in 2011, a handful of Kansas State graduates who spent so many of their college days rooting hard against Kansas, came together to do something good for the city of Lawrence.

In honor of their friend, who had passed away after a battle with breast cancer, [these K-State grads joined forces with former KU football player Harrison Hill, Lawrence business man Miles Schnaer and others in the weeks leading up to the KU-K-State football showdown to raise money][1] to remodel Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s oncology wing, where their dear friend spent so many days during her treatment.

In just a short time, these women raised well over their goal of $100,000 and sent the money to LMH to honor their friend Jamie Pursley’s wish to make the environment and atmosphere inside the treatment rooms fresh and upbeat.

Today, this same group, now operating behind The Jamie’s Wish Foundation name, is at it again, this time for the benefit of the University of Kansas Cancer Center North, located in Kansa City, Mo.

“JWF has one goal,” the group wrote in a press release. “To make chemotherapy infusion areas more comfortable for cancer patients.”

This time around, dubbed “Together for a Common Cause II,” their efforts are under way in the memory of Andy Tyhurst, who lost his battle with appendix cancer last July.

“JWF bridges a divide between KU and K-State fans,” the group said. “Making cancer care more comfortable for patients is a big win for both teams.”

With that in mind, the Foundation is hosting a tailgate event for this weekend’s Sunflower Showdown at Memorial Stadium from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 11th and Mississippi from Lot 96 to Lot 130 at Memorial Stadium.

The area will be marked by pink balloons and more than 300 KU and K-State fans who have been inspired by JWF and Tyhurst and Pursley plan to put the Rock Chalk Chickenhawk and Little Brother barbs aside — at least before the game — to raise money for this great cause.

To donate or learn more about Saturday’s fund-raiser, visit [jamieswish.org][2] or contact the Foundation’s head of media relations, Jamie Borgman, at (913)-568-8221 or jaborgman5@gmail.com.

KU (1-6 overall, 0-4 Big 12) and K-State (3-4, 1-3) will kick off this year’s Sunflower Showdown at 2 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.

[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2011/oct/17/k-state-week-rivalry-put-on-hold-as-jayh/
[2]: http://www.jamieswish.org/next-fundraiser/

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Written By Matt Tait

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.