View source for Kansas Jayhawks

{{Short description|Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Kansas}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox school athletics
| name            = Kansas Jayhawks
| logo            = Kansas Jayhawks 1946 logo.svg
| logo_width      = 200
| university      = [[The University of Kansas]]
| association     = NCAA
| conference      = [[Big 12 Conference]]
| division        = [[NCAA Division I|Division I]]  ([[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]])
| director        = [[Travis Goff]]
| location        = [[Lawrence, Kansas]]
| teams           = 18
| stadium         = [[David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium]]
| baseballfield   = [[Hoglund Ballpark]]
| basketballarena = [[Allen Fieldhouse]]
| softballstadium = Arrocha Ballpark
| soccerstadium   = Rock Chalk Park
| arena2          = Anschutz Pavilion<br />[[Rim Rock Farm]]<br />Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena<br />Robinson Natatorium<br />Jayhawk Tennis Center<br />Kansas River Boathouse
| mascot          = [[Big Jay (mascot)|Big Jay]] and [[Baby Jay]]
| fightsong       = [[I'm a Jayhawk]]
| cheer           = [[Rock Chalk, Jayhawk]]
| website         = https://kuathletics.com/
| altlogo         = [[File:Kansas Jayhawks wordmark.svg|200px]]
}}
[[File:Big 12 logo in KU colors.svg|thumb|150px|Big 12 logo in Kansas' colors]]
The '''Kansas Jayhawks''', commonly referred to as simply '''KU''' or '''Kansas''', are the athletic teams that represent the [[University of Kansas]]. KU is one of three schools [[List of college athletic programs in Kansas|in the state of Kansas]] that participate in [[NCAA Division I]]. The Jayhawks are also a member of the [[Big 12 Conference]]. KU [[college athletics|athletic]] teams have won fifteen national championships all-time, with twelve of those being NCAA Division I championships: four in men's basketball, one in men's cross country, three in men's indoor [[track and field]], three in men's outdoor track and field, and one in women's outdoor track and field. Kansas basketball also won two Helms Foundation National Titles in 1922 and 1923, and KU Bowling won the USBC National Title in 2004.

==Mascot==
===Origins of "Jayhawk"===
{{main|Jayhawker}}
The name "Jayhawk" comes from the Kansas [[Jayhawker]] militias during the [[Bleeding Kansas]] era of the [[American Civil War]]. The term became part of the lexicon of the Missouri-Kansas border in about 1858, during the [[Kansas Territory|Kansas territorial]] period, as these militia groups began to grow in Kansas.

Another historian of the territorial period described the Jayhawkers as bands of men that were willing to fight, kill, and rob for a variety of motives, including defense against pro-slavery "Border Ruffians", abolition of slavery, driving pro-[[slavery]] settlers from Kansas Territory and their claims of land, Christianity, revenge, or plunder and personal profit.<ref>Welch, G. Murlin. ''Border Warfare in Southeast Kansas: 1856–1859''. Linn County Publishing Co., Inc. 1977.</ref>

In September 1861, the town of [[Osceola, Missouri]], was burned to the ground by Jayhawkers during the [[Sacking of Osceola]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Eamonn|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/35412/the-dark-side-of-the-jayhawks-nickname|title=The dark side of the Jayhawks' nickname – College Basketball Nation Blog |website=Espn.go.com |date=September 15, 2011 |access-date=August 23, 2014 }}</ref> On the 150th anniversary of that event in 2011, the town asked the [[University of Kansas]] to remove the Jayhawk as its mascot;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/local/osceola-urges-kansas-to-drop-jayhawk-name/article_ab835903-4a8c-55aa-b4d7-6cef0b4a075b.html|title=Osceola Urges Kansas to Drop Jayhawk Name|work=Columbia Daily Tribune|access-date=March 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227092154/http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/local/osceola-urges-kansas-to-drop-jayhawk-name/article_ab835903-4a8c-55aa-b4d7-6cef0b4a075b.html|archive-date=December 27, 2014 }}</ref> although, the university refused.

Over time, proud of their state's contributions to the end of slavery and the preservation of the Union, Kansans embraced the "Jayhawker" term. The term came to be applied to people or items related to Kansas. When the University of Kansas fielded their first football team in 1890, like many universities at that time, they had no official mascot. They used many different independent mascots, including a pig. During the 1890s, the team was referred to as the Jayhawkers by the student body.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk.shtml|title=The Jayhawk • The University of Kansas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115223928/http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk.shtml|archive-date=November 15, 2012 }}</ref> Over time, the name was gradually supplanted by its shorter variant, and KU's sports teams are now almost exclusively known as the Jayhawks. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the "[[Rock Chalk, Jayhawk]]" chant in unison before and during games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/chant.shtml |title=Traditions • About KU • The University of Kansas |website=KU.edu |access-date=August 23, 2014 |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513202131/http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/chant.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the traditions promoted by KU, the jayhawk is said to be a combination of two birds, "the [[blue jay]], a noisy, quarrelsome thing known to rob other nests; and the [[American kestrel|sparrow hawk]], a stealthy hunter."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk.shtml|title=The Jayhawk - the University of Kansas|access-date=March 25, 2006 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115223928/http://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk.shtml|archive-date=November 15, 2012 }}. Accessed 1/28/11.</ref>

The term Jayhawker was made famous in Clint Eastwood’s movie The Outlaw Josey Wales. An older Kansas couple comes into a general store in Texas. The checker says, “The wheat is from Kansas and the molasses comes from Missouri.” Grandma says, “Well sir we'll do without the molasses, anything from Missouri has a taint about it.” Grandpa says, “Now, Grandma, you’ve got to tread lightly now that we’re here in Texas. Lot of nice elements from Missouri coming West.” Grandma responds, “Never heard of nice things from Missouri coming West, and treading lightly is not my way. We’re from Kansas, Jayhawkers and proud of it.”

The link between the term "Jayhawkers" and any specific kind of mythical bird, if it ever existed, had been lost or at least obscured by the time KU's bird mascot was invented in 1912. The originator of the  first bird mascot, Henry Maloy, struggled for over two years to create a pictorial symbol for the team, until hitting upon the bird idea. As explained by Mr. Maloy, "the term ‘jayhawk’ in the school yell was a verb and the term ‘jayhawkers’ was the noun."<ref>Kirke Mechem. The Mythical Jayhawk. Kansas Historical Quarterly, February 1944 (Vol. 13, No. 1), pages 1 to 15.</ref> KU's current Jayhawk tradition largely springs from Frank W. Blackmar, a KU professor. In his 1926 address on the origin of the Jayhawk, Blackmar specifically referenced the blue jay and sparrow hawk. Blackmar's address served to soften the link between KU's athletic team moniker and the Jayhawkers of the Kansas territorial period, and helped explain the relatively recently invented Jayhawk pictorial symbol with a myth that appears to have been of even more recent fabrication.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.union.ku.edu/legend.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902021658/http://www.union.ku.edu/legend.shtml |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |title=KU History and Traditions – The Legend of the Jayhawk – Origin of the Jayhawk|last=Blackmar|first=Dr. F. W. |publisher=University of Kansas |access-date=January 17, 2016 }} December, 1926.</ref> More recently, however, the University and KU fans have again embraced the history of the Jayhawker moniker, with the football team, among other Varsity teams, donning civil war themed uniforms.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article181911471.html |title=KU football unveils 'Jay-Hawkers' uniforms that harken back to Civil War days |date=October 31, 2017 |first1=Pete |last1=Grathoff |first2=Jesse |last2=Newell |publisher=The Kansas City Star}}</ref>

===Costume mascots===
<!-- [[Centennial Jay]] redirects here. -->
{{main|Big Jay (mascot)|Baby Jay}}

Jayhawks [[Big Jay (mascot)|Big Jay]] and [[Baby Jay]] are the costume [[mascot]]s used by the University of Kansas.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Mascots |url=https://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/mascots/ |publisher=[[University of Kansas]] |website=KU.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404200941/https://www.ku.edu/about/traditions/mascots/ |archive-date=April 4, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2022 }}</ref>

Another Jayhawk costume mascot was '''Centennial Jay''', or '''C Jay'''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Retro Centennial Jay Helps Celebrate 100 Mascot Years |url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/aug/19/retro-centennial-jay-helps-celebrate-100-mascot-ye/ |website=[[Lawrence Journal-World]] |publisher=[[Ogden Newspapers]] |access-date=March 22, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Top 25 Great College Football Mascots: More than Just Oversized Heads |url=https://news.yahoo.com/top-25-great-college-football-mascots-more-just-162200316--ncaaf.html |access-date=March 22, 2014 }}</ref> C Jay was created by student cartoonist Henry Maloy and featured in the [[University Daily Kansan]] in 1912.<ref name="ku.edu">{{cite web |title=The Jayhawks |url=http://ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk |access-date=February 29, 2012 |archive-date=January 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115111929/http://ku.edu/about/traditions/jayhawk/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Maloy's depiction of the Jayhawk helped answer the question of what the mythical bird would look like. When asked why he gave the bird shoes Maloy responded, "Why? For kicking opponents, of course."<ref name="ku.edu" /> C Jay was reintroduced as a full-sized mascot on February 25, 2012 in the final [[Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry)|Border War]] against [[Missouri Tigers men's basketball|Missouri]] to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Jayhawk.<ref name="LJW 2012">{{cite web |last=Hyland |first=Andy |title=C Jay Back for Centennial Celebration of the Jayhawk |url=https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/feb/28/c-jay-back-centennial-celebration-jayhawk/ |website=Lawrence Journal-World |publisher=Ogden Newspapers |date=February 28, 2012 |access-date=January 17, 2022 }}</ref> C Jay was used only in 2012 for the 100-year anniversary of the original Jayhawk design.<ref name="LJW 2012" />

==Sports sponsored==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; clear:right; margin:0 0 1em 1em;"
! width= 150px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Kansas Jayhawks|border=1|color=#ffffff}}"| Men's sports
! width= 150px style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Kansas Jayhawks|border=1|color=#ffffff}}"| Women's sports
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks baseball|Baseball]] || [[Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball|Basketball]]
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball|Basketball]] || Cross country
|-
| Cross country || Golf
|-
| [[Kansas Jayhawks football|Football]] || Rowing
|-
| Golf || Soccer
|-
| Track and field{{sup|1}} || [[Kansas Jayhawks softball|Softball]]
|-
| || Swimming and diving
|-
| || Tennis
|-
| || Track and field{{sup|1}}
|-
| || Volleyball
|-
| colspan="2" style="{{CollegeSecondaryStyle|Kansas Jayhawks}}"|{{small|{{sup|1}} – includes both indoor and outdoor.}}
|}
The University of Kansas officially sponsors 16 sports: 6 men's and 10 women's. There are also club-level sports for [[Rugby union|rugby]], [[ice hockey]], and men's [[volleyball]]. The school used to sponsor a [[wrestling]] team, though the sport was discontinued during the 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016 |title=Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk, Mike Elwell |url=http://kuathletics.com/news/2016/3/2/general-once-a-jayhawk-always-a-jayhawk-mike-elwell.aspx |website=KUAthletics.com |access-date=March 20, 2017 |archive-date=July 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705205254/https://kuathletics.com/news/2016/3/2/general-once-a-jayhawk-always-a-jayhawk-mike-elwell.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Basketball===

====Men's basketball====
{{main|Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball}}

The Jayhawks men's NCAA basketball program is one of the most successful and prestigious programs in the history of college basketball. The Jayhawks' first coach was the inventor of the game, [[James Naismith]]. The program has produced some of the game's greatest professional players (including [[Clyde Lovellette]], [[Wilt Chamberlain]], [[Joel Embiid]], [[Jo Jo White]], and [[Paul Pierce]]) and most successful coaches (including [[Phog Allen]], [[Adolph Rupp]], [[Ralph Miller]], [[Dutch Lonborg]], [[John McLendon]], [[Larry Brown (basketball)|Larry Brown]], [[Dean Smith]], [[Roy Williams (coach)|Roy Williams]], and [[Bill Self]]). The program has enjoyed considerable national success, having been retrospectively awarded [[Helms Foundation]] titles for the 1922 and 1923 seasons, winning NCAA national championships in 1952, 1988, 2008, and 2022, and playing in 16 Final Fours. The Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team is one of only three programs to win more than 2,000 games. KU ranked 4th in Street & Smith's Annual list of 100 greatest college basketball programs of all time in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://daresler.net/info/top/basketball-programs/|title=DAResler's Blog |author=DAResler|work=daresler.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212032016/http://daresler.net/info/top/basketball-programs/ |archive-date=February 12, 2008 }}</ref>

====Women's basketball====
{{main|Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball}}

Kansas first fielded a women's team during the 1968–69 season. For thirty-one seasons (1973–2004) the women's team was coached by [[Marian Washington]], who led the team to three Big Eight championships, one Big 12 Championship, six conference tournament championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women|AIAW]] Tournament appearances. The team's best post-season result was a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1998. [[Bonnie Henrickson]] served as head coach from 2004 to 2015, until she was fired in March 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wibw.com/sports/headlines/Bonnie-Henrickson-Fired-As-Kansas-Womens-Basketball-Coach-295652601.html|title=Bonnie Henrickson Fired as Kansas Women's Basketball Coach|work=wibw.com|access-date=March 9, 2015|archive-date=March 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312195613/http://www.wibw.com/sports/headlines/Bonnie-Henrickson-Fired-As-Kansas-Womens-Basketball-Coach-295652601.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Brandon Schneider]] was hired to replace Henrickson in April 2015.

===Football===
{{main|Kansas Jayhawks football}}

KU began playing football in 1890. The football team has had notable alumni including [[Gale Sayers]], a two-time All-American who later enjoyed an injury-shortened yet Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears; [[John Riggins]], another Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XVII MVP with the Washington Redskins; Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Cleveland Browns, [[Mike McCormack (American football)|Mike McCormack]]. Additional notable former Jayhawks [[John Hadl]], [[Curtis McClinton]], [[Dana Stubblefield]], [[Bobby Douglass]], [[Nolan Cromwell]], and former NFL cornerbacks [[Aqib Talib]] and [[Chris Harris Jr.]] The Jayhawks have appeared three times in the Orange Bowl, 1948, 1969 and 2008, winning in 2008. The team currently plays in Memorial Stadium (capacity 50,071), the seventh oldest college football stadium in the nation, which opened in 1921. [[Clint Bowen]] was named interim head coach after [[Charlie Weis]] was fired September 28, 2014. On December 5, 2014, [[David Beaty (American football)|David Beaty]] was announced as the next head football coach.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/11983246/david-beaty-returning-kansas|title=Kansas hires David Beaty as coach|first=Sam Jr.|last=Kahn |work=ESPN.com |date=December 5, 2014 |access-date=December 5, 2014 }}</ref>

===Baseball===
{{main|Kansas Jayhawks baseball}}
[[File:HoglundBallparkMarch2025.jpg|thumb|left|The Jayhawks playing during the 2025 season at Hoglund Ballpark]]
Kansas baseball began in 1867, and in 1880 became a varsity sport. It is one of the oldest intercollegiate college baseball programs in the United States. It produced notable players such as [[Bob Allison]] and [[Steve Renko]]. The team has appeared in five NCAA tournaments (1993, 1994, 2006, 2009, 2014) and one College World Series (1993). As of March 11, 2025 the team holds a 2,071-1,991-18 record.

===Softball===
The Jayhawks softball team has appeared in seven [[Women's College World Series]], including five straight from 1973–77, as well as 1979 and 1992.<ref name="Plummer">{{cite book|title=A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series|first1=William|last1=Plummer|first2=Larry C.|last2=Floyd |date=2013 |publisher=Turnkey Communications |location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States|isbn=978-0-9893007-0-4}}</ref>

===Golf===
In 1949, [[Marilynn Smith]] won the women's individual intercollegiate [[Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships#Individual|golf championship]] (an event conducted by the [[AIAW|Division of Girls' and Women's Sports]] (DGWS) — which later evolved into the current NCAA women's golf championship). In [[2025 NCAA Division I women's golf championship|2025]], Kansas won the Columbus Regional, securing an appearance in the [[NCAA Division I women's golf championship|NCAA Championship]] and claiming the first regional championship in program history.<ref>{{cite web | last=Bedore | first=Gary | title=Kansas Jayhawks women’s golf team headed to NCAAs for 3rd time in program history | website=Kansas City Star | date=2025-05-07 | url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article305929181.html | access-date=2025-05-07}}</ref>

===Soccer===
Women's soccer at the University of Kansas got its start in 1995, and they play their games at Rock Chalk Park in northwest Lawrence, Kansas. The stadium holds 2,500 people, making it one of the larger stadiums in the Big 12 for soccer. The team is coached by Mark Francis, who is in his 25th season at KU as of 2023, with a record of 258-192-43. The team's overall record since 1995 is 283-240-46, with two Big 12 conference titles, a divisional title, and 9 appearances in the NCAA tournament.

==Notable non-varsity sports==

===Rugby===
Founded in 1964, Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club plays [[college rugby]] in the Division 1 [[Heart of America (college rugby)|Heart of America]] conference against its many of its traditional Big 8 / Big 12 rivals such as Kansas State and Missouri. Kansas finished the 2011 year ranked 24th.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rugbymag.com/men-di-college/2695-mens-di-aa-top-26-nov-14-2011.html |title=Men's DI-AA Top 26, Nov. 14, 2011 |date=November 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113165946/http://rugbymag.com/men-di-college/2695-mens-di-aa-top-26-nov-14-2011.html |archive-date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=January 13, 2022 }}</ref> Kansas rugby has embarked on international tours since 1977, playing in Europe, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium, Holland, Scotland, England, Ireland and Argentina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kurugby.org/Club_History.html|title=Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club |website=KURugby.org |access-date=January 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207223235/http://kurugby.org/Club_History.html|archive-date=February 7, 2016 }}</ref>
The team plays its matches at the Westwick Rugby Complex, which was funded by $350,000 in alumni donations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Daugherty |first=Joseph |url=http://kansan.com/sports/2012/10/01/alumni-donates-money-to-create-rugby-complex/ |title=Alumni Donates Money to Create Rugby Complex |work=The University Daily Kansan |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127052416/http://kansan.com/sports/2012/10/01/alumni-donates-money-to-create-rugby-complex/ |date=October 1, 2012 |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |access-date=January 13, 2022 }}</ref> Kansas often hosts the annual Heart of America sevens tournament played every September, the winner of which qualifies for the [[USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships|USA Rugby sevens national championship]]. Notable University of Kansas rugby all-Americans are: Pete Knudsen 1986, Paul King 1989–90, Anthony Rio 1992, Philip Olson 1993 all American, Joel Foster 1993, Collin Gotham 1993. In 2022 the club played in the USA Rugby D1AA spring national championship game, falling to Fresno State, 22–17.

===Ice hockey===
Competing in the [[American Collegiate Hockey Association|ACHA]], the Kansas Jayhawks Club Ice Hockey team has seen a resurgence in popularity since the team started scheduling games against historical rivals Missouri and Nebraska, starting on an annualized basis in 2013. The team is coached by Andy McConnell.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

The team's primary logo is the traditional Kansas Jayhawk logo, with the secondary logo paying homage to the [[Vancouver Canucks]] classic logo, with the outline of the state of Kansas having a hockey stick running through the middle of it.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==Championships==

===Conference championships and titles===
[[File:KU vs. Washburn (Ex) (3005492265).jpg|thumb|Cheering on the champions.]]
The Jayhawks have won 177 conference championships across all sports in university history as of December 2024.{{Citation needed|reason=Not all championships listed have a source.|date=April 2025}}

[[Big 12 Conference]] champions in men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball have the best conference regular season record, and conference tournament titles are awarded to the winner of the postseason championship tournament in men's basketball, baseball, softball, women's basketball, women's soccer, and tennis. Big 12 postseason championship games and matches are played in rowing, track and field, cross country, and football.

; Men's basketball<ref>{{cite web|url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf|title=Big 12 Record Book: Men's Basketball |access-date=December 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071126231337/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf |archive-date=November 26, 2007 }}</ref>
The Jayhawks have won or shared an NCAA record 63 conference championships since they joined their first conference in 1907. The Jayhawks have belonged to the [[Big 12 Conference]] since it was formed, before the 1996–97 season, and dominated it, winning 12 straight conference titles dating back to 2005. Before that, the Jayhawks have belonged to the [[Big Eight Conference|Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association]] from the 1907–08 to 1927–28 seasons, the [[Big Six Conference]] from 1928–29 to 1946–47, the [[Big Eight Conference|Big Seven Conference]] from 1947–48 to 1957–58, the [[Big Eight Conference]] from 1958–59 up until the end of the 1995–96 season. The [[Big Six Conference|Big Six]] and [[Big Eight Conference|Big Seven]] conferences were actually the more often used names of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which existed under that official name until 1964, when it was changed to the Big Eight.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kuathletics.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/kan/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/mbaskbl-0708-mg-eight |title=2007–08 Media Guide |publisher=Kansas Jayhawks |access-date=April 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220164321/http://kuathletics.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/kan/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/mbaskbl-0708-mg-eight |archive-date=February 20, 2008 }}</ref>

Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (13)
* 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927

Big Six Conference (12)
* 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946

Big Seven Conference (5)
* 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1957

Big Eight Conference (13)
* 1960, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996

Big 12 Conference (20)
* 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, 2023

In addition to the 63 regular season conference championships, the Jayhawks have also won 28 conference tournament championships:

Big 7 Holiday Tournament (4)
* 1951, 1953, 1956, 1957,

Big 8 Holiday Tournament (9)
*1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1978,

Big 8 Postseason Tournament (4)
*1981, 1984, 1986, 1992,

Big 12 Postseason Tournament (12)
*1997, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2022

; Football<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kuathletics.com/sports/2024/4/15/football-archives.aspx |title=Football Archives |website=University of Kansas |access-date=April 25, 2025 }}</ref>
:1908 - MVIAA champion
:1923 - MVIAA champion
:1930 - Big 6 champion
:1946 - Big 6 champion
:1947 - Big 7 champion
:1968 - Big 8 champion

; Women's basketball<ref>{{cite web|url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf|title=Big 12 Record Book: Women's Basketball |access-date=December 1, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216032534/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf |archive-date=February 16, 2008 }}</ref>
: 1979 – Big 8 tournament champion
: 1980 – Big 8 tournament champion
: 1981 – Big 8 tournament champion
: 1987 – Big 8 regular season and tournament champion
: 1988 – Big 8 tournament champion
: 1992 – Big 8 regular season champion
: 1993 – Big 8 tournament champion
: 1996 – Big 8 regular season champion
: 1997 – Big 12 champion

; Baseball<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kuathletics.com/sports/2024/4/10/year-by-year-records.aspx |title=Year-by-Year Records |website=University of Kansas |access-date=April 25, 2025 }}</ref>
: 1922 – MVIAA champion
: 1923 – MVIAA champion
: 1949 – Big 7 champion
: 2006 – Big 12 tournament champion

; Soccer
: 2004 – Big 12 regular season co-champion
: 2019 - Big 12 tournament champion
: 2024 – Big 12 tournament champion

; Softball<ref>{{cite web| url=http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/w-softbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf| title=Big 12 Record Book: Softball |access-date=December 1, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616030852/http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/big12/sports/w-softbl/auto_pdf/record_book.pdf |archive-date=June 16, 2007 }}</ref>
: 2006 – Big 12 tournament champion

; Men's indoor track and field
: 1922, 1923, 1934, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

; Women's indoor track and field
: 2013

; Men's outdoor track and field
: 1910, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982

; Women's outdoor track and field
: 2013

; Men's cross country
: 1928, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1969

; Men's golf
: 1999

; Tennis
: 1979, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2019

; Women's volleyball
: 2016

===National Championships===
Kansas has won 12 NCAA team national championships<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf |title=Championship Summary – Through July 1, 2015 |date=July 1, 2015 |publisher=[[NCAA]] |page=6 |access-date=January 17, 2016 }}</ref> and 3 non-NCAA National Championships. Eleven of the twelve NCAA Championships have come from men's sports teams. The sole women's National Championship was from the outdoor track team in 2013. The last team National Championship was from the men's basketball team in 2022. Five different sports have won at least one championship.

====NCAA team championships====
* '''Men (11)'''
** [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament#Titles by school|Basketball]] (4): 1952, 1988, 2008, 2022
** [[NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship#Team titles|Cross country]] (1): 1953
** [[NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships#Team titles|Indoor track and field]] (3): 1966, 1969, 1970
** [[NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships#Team titles|Outdoor track and field]] (3): 1959, 1960, 1970
* '''Women (1)'''
** [[NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships#Team titles|Outdoor track and field]] (1): 2013

====Non-NCAA team championships====
The Jayhawks have also won three national titles not awarded by the NCAA:
* Men's [[Ten-pin bowling|Bowling]] (1): 2004 ([[United States Bowling Congress|USBC]] intercollegiate champions)
* Men's Basketball (2): 1922, 1923 ([[Helms Athletic Foundation]] retrospective selections)

==Rivalries==

===Kansas State Wildcats (Sunflower Showdown)===
{{main|Sunflower Showdown}}

[[Kansas State University]] is Kansas' in-state rival. The series between Kansas and Kansas State is known as the [[Sunflower Showdown]].

===Missouri Tigers (Border War)===
{{main|Border War (Kansas–Missouri rivalry)}}

The 160-year-old rivalry between Kansas and Missouri began with open violence that up to the American Civil War known as Bleeding Kansas that took place in the [[Kansas Territory]] ([[Sacking of Lawrence]]) and the western frontier towns of [[Missouri]] throughout the 1850s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historynet.com/americas-civil-war-missouri-and-kansas.htm|title=America's Civil War: Missouri and Kansas |website=HistoryNet.com |date=June 12, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2014 }}</ref> The incidents were clashes between pro-slavery factions from both states and anti-slavery Kansans to influence whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. In the opening year of the war, six Missouri towns (the largest being [[Osceola, Missouri|Osceola]]) and large swaths of the western Missouri country side were plundered and burned by guerrilla "Jayhawkers" from Kansas. The [[Sacking of Osceola]] led to a retaliatory raid on Lawrence, Kansas two years later known as the [[Lawrence Massacre]] killing between 185 and 200 men and boys, which in turn led to the infamous [[General Order No. 11 (1863)]], the forced depopulation of several western Missouri counties.<ref name=Spurgeon>Spurgeon, Ian (2009), ''Man of Douglas, man of Lincoln: the political odyssey of James Henry Lane'', University of Missouri Press, pp. 185–88</ref> The raid on Lawrence was led by [[William Quantrill]], a Confederate guerrilla born in Ohio who had formed his [[bushwhacker]] group at the end of 1861. At the time the Civil War broke out, Quantrill was a resident of Lawrence, Kansas teaching school.<ref>{{cite book |last=Petersen |first=Paul R. |date=2003 |title=Quantrill of Missouri: The Making of a Guerrilla Warrior – The Man, the Myth, the Soldier }}</ref>

The athletic rivalry began with a football game on October 31, 1891. Currently it is the second longest played series in Division I football and has been described as one of the most intense in the nation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_bonus/11/20/kansas.mizzou/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103194507/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/the_bonus/11/20/kansas.mizzou/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2012|work=CNN|title=SI.com – The Border War – Nov 23, 2007 |date=November 23, 2007 |access-date=May 7, 2010 }}</ref> However, no regular season games were scheduled after Missouri accepted an offer to join the [[Southeastern Conference]] and Kansas refused Missouri's offer to continue rivalry outside of the conference.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7199062/missouri-tigers-move-sec-official-big-12-hurdles-remain|title=Missouri Tigers' move to SEC official, but Big 12 hurdles remain |website=Espn.go.com |date=November 7, 2011 |access-date=August 23, 2014 }}</ref> In the basketball series Kansas leads by a large margin (172-95 KU), in football Missouri leads by a very small margin (56-55-9 MU) and baseball Missouri leads by a large margin. Regular season games have been scheduled for basketball beginning in 2020 and football in 2025 for the first time since Missouri left for the SEC.

===Dormant rivalries===

====Nebraska Cornhuskers====
{{main|Kansas-Nebraska football rivalry}}

Kansas had a rivalry with the [[Nebraska Cornhuskers]], though that rivalry had more to do with who had the better sports program, with Kansas priding itself on its basketball prowess and Nebraska on its football dominance. This rivalry of sports cultures has gone dormant with Nebraska's departure for the [[Big Ten Conference]] in 2011. Prior to 2011, the football series between the 2 schools was the 3rd most played rivalry in college football behind Minnesota-Wisconsin and Kansas-Missouri. In basketball, Kansas leads the all-time series 170–71.

==Notable athletes==
This list below is for Olympic medalists and Hall of Famers in their respective sport, with a single exception. For a more comprehensive list of notable athletes see {{Section link|List of University of Kansas people|Athletes and coaches}}.
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Phog Allen]] played basketball at KU under James Naismith. He was known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching" as he coached and mentored Hall of Fame coaches Dutch Lonberg, Adolph Rupp, Ralph Miller, and Dean Smith. Allen, Lonberg, Rupp, Miller, and Smith (all KU alumni and basketball players) amassed 3,481 career wins as head coaches. No other five alumni from any other school come close to this figure. When Allen retired he was the leader in all-time wins (746) until passed by Rupp, who held it until passed by Smith. Allen also founded the [[National Association of Basketball Coaches]] (NABC) in 1927, which went on to create the NCAA Tournament in 1939. While at Kansas, he coached the football and baseball teams. He is the namesake for the basketball arena at Kansas, [[Allen Fieldhouse]].
* [[Bob Dole]], known his political career, was a football and basketball player for the Jayhawks, but did not have any major accomplishments as an athlete. He served as senator from Kansas for 27 years, resigning to focus on his presidential campaign. He was the Republican Party nomination for the [[1996 United States presidential election|1996 presidential election]] and lost to incumbent [[Bill Clinton]].
* [[Wilt Chamberlain]], two-time All American, Final Four MVP, National Basketball Hall of Fame, Top 50 All Time Greatest NBA players
* [[Jon Cornish]], 2006 First Team All-Big 12, second round draft pick of the [[Calgary Stampeders]], [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]r
* [[Glenn Cunningham (runner)|Glenn Cunningham]], two-time US Olympic Runner, Silver Medalist 1936 Berlin [[Olympic Games|Olympics]], dominant runner of the 1930s
* [[Skinny Johnson|Bill "Skinny" Johnson]], Basketball player, 2-time All-Big 6. Member basketball Hall of Fame.
* [[Clyde Lovellette]], Basketball player, led KU to the 1952 NCAA Tournament championship. The only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in scoring and then win the National Championship in the same season. 1952 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Scored a then record 141 points in the 1952 NCAA Tournament. 3-time All-American (twice Consensus All-American) and 1952 Helms College Player of the Year. 1952 Olympic Gold Medalist while earning the Most Outstanding Player and leading the team in scoring. 9th overall pick in the 1952 NBA Draft. 4-time NBA All Star, 3-time NBA champion, and Basketball Hall of Fame member.
* [[Danny Manning]], Basketball player and former head basketball coach at Wake Forest. Two-time [[All-America]]n 1988 recipient of the [[Naismith College Player of the Year|Naismith]] and [[Wooden Award]]s, Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980s, 2-time [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] All-Star, [[College Basketball Experience|National Collegiate Basketball Hall Of Fame]]r.
* [[Mike McCormack (American football)|Mike McCormack]], Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle. Former NFL head coach and GM.
* [[Ralph Miller]], Basketball and Football player at KU. All Big-Six conference quarterback on the football team. Assistant under Phog Allen. Went on to become Basketball Hall of Famer as a head coach with 657 wins.
* [[Billy Mills]], First American to win gold medal in the 10,000&nbsp;m run, 1964 Tokyo [[Olympic Games]]
* [[Bill Nieder]], Former record holder in High School shot put, first college Athlete to surpass 60 feet with the 16-pound shot, two National championships, Silver Medal 1956 [[Melbourne Olympic Games]], Gold Medal 1960 [[Rome Olympic Games]]
* [[Al Oerter]], Olympic gold medal [[discus throw]]er in four consecutive [[Olympiad]]s
* [[John Riggins]], Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|MVP]] of [[Super Bowl XVII]]
* [[Adolph Rupp]], Basketball Player under Phog Allen. Member of 1922 and 1923 Helms Foundation title teams. Retired as winningest college basketball head coach with 876 wins. Member of Basketball Hall of Fame.
* [[Jim Ryun]], World record holder in mile, Olympic silver medalist, former Congressman
* [[Gale Sayers]], 2-time All American, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, [[Chicago Bears]]
* [[Dean Smith]] played basketball under Phog Allen. Also played baseball. Played on the 1952 National Championship Basketball Team. Assistant Coach at KU for 1 season. Retired as winningest college basketball head coach with 879 wins Member of Basketball Hall of Fame.
* [[Marilynn Smith]], 21-time winner on the [[LPGA Tour]]. Inducted into the [[World Golf Hall of Fame]] in 2006
* [[Lynette Woodard]], 4-time All-American, Major college basketball's career Women's Scoring leader, Gold Medalist 1984 [[1984 Summer Olympics|Los Angeles Olympic Games]], First woman ever to play with [[Harlem Globetrotters]], WNBA player, former assistant and interim head coach for the Kansas Jayhawks, National Basketball Hall of Fame, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
}}

==Athletic directors==
Kansas has had 16 full-time athletic directors and 8 interim athletic directors. [[W. O. Hamilton]] was the first official athletic director. Travis Goff has served as the athletic director since 2021. Longtime men's basketball coach [[Phog Allen]] also served as athletic director for 18 years.

{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
* [[W. O. Hamilton]], 1911–1919
* [[Phog Allen]], 1919–1937
* [[Gwinn Henry]], 1938–1942
* Karl Klooz, 1943 (interim)
* [[Ernie Quigley]], 1944–1949
* [[Arthur Lonborg]], 1950–1963
* Wade R. Stinson, 1964–1972
* Clyde Walker, 1973–1977
* Bob Marcum, 1978–1981
* Del Shankel, 1981 (interim)
* Jim Lessig, 1982
* Del Shankel, 1982 (interim)
{{Col-2}}
* Monte Johnson, 1982–1987
* Bob Frederick, 1987–2001
* Richard Konzem, 2001 (interim)
* Allen Bohl, 2001–2003
* Drue Jennings, 2003 (interim)
* [[Lew Perkins]], 2003–2010
* Sean Lester, 2010–2011 (interim)
* [[Sheahon Zenger]], 2011–2018
* Sean Lester – 2018 (interim)
* [[Jeff Long (athletic director)|Jeff Long]], 2018–2021
* Kurt Watson, (interim) 2021
* [[Travis Goff]], 2021–present
{{Col-end}}

==Athletic department revenue==
Total revenue includes Ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.

Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.

The following table shows the KU Athletics audit reports to the NCAA for each of the years shown.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="width:150px;"| Fiscal Year
! style="width:150px;"| Total Operating Revenue
! style="width:150px;"| Total Operating Expenses
|-
| 2017-2018
| $106,307,326 <ref name=FY2018>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2018 | publisher=BKD Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2018_NCAA_Financial_Report.pdf |date=November 15, 2018 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $104,108,072 <ref name=FY2018/>
|-
| 2018-2019
| $121,553,307 <ref name=FY2019>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2019 | publisher=BKD Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2019-NCAA-Financial-Report.pdf |date=December 20, 2019 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $108,881,800 <ref name=FY2019/>
|-
| 2019-2020
| $102,707,575 <ref name=FY2020>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2020 | publisher=BKD Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2020-NCAA-Financial-Report.pdf |date=January 6, 2021 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $102,693,011 <ref name=FY2020/>
|-
| 2020-2021
| $92,325,635 <ref name=FY2021>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2021 | publisher=BKD Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FY-20-21-NCAA-Report1.pdf |date=December 21, 2021 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $94,140,743 <ref name=FY2021/>
|-
| 2021-2022
| $118,020,175 <ref name=FY2022>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2022 | publisher=Forvis Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/21-22-NCAA-Report.pdf |date=January 11, 2023 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $108,696,078 <ref name=FY2022/>
|-
| 2022-2023
| $128,398,186 <ref name=FY2023>{{Cite web | title=NCAA Financial Report Reporting Institution: University of Kansas Reporting Year (FY): 2023 | publisher=Forvis Audit | url=https://kuathletics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-NCAA-Financial-Report.pdf |date=January 16, 2024 | access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
| $124,210,259 <ref name=FY2023/>
|}

==See also==
* {{Section link|Budig Hall|Hoch Auditorium}} – Home to the basketball teams from 1927 to 1955
* [[Robinson Gymnasium]] – Home to the men's basketball team from 1907 to 1927

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Falkenstien |first1=Max |author-link=Max Falkenstien |first2=Doug |last2=Vance |author2-link=Doug Vance |title=Max and the Jayhawks: 50 Years on and off the Air with KU Sports |date=1996 |publisher=The Wichita Eagle & Beacon Publishing Company |location=Wichita, Kansas }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons cat}}
* {{Official website}}

{{University of Kansas}}
{{Big 12 Conference navbox}}
{{Kansas Sports}}

[[Category:Kansas Jayhawks| ]]