Sometimes you have to make the choice to take a leap of faith and trust that you’re ready for whatever is ahead. For former KU golfer, Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, life has been full of those moments.
For all he’s accomplished—a national championship, three Final Fours, 10 Elite Eights and 15 Big 12 titles—Bill Self is always quick to give others credit. It’s just the way he was raised—both as a kid, and as a coach.
When you talk about Kansas basketball record holders, you’re talking about some of the very best to play the sport at the college level. That’s the company that Aaron Miles—the Jayhawks’ all-time assists leader and ninth in the history of college basketball—finds himself in.
How does a guy commit to Kansas sight unseen and end up becoming a Jayhawk for life? For Julian Wright—who grew up in Chicago watching Michael Jordan and the Bulls win championships—he just wanted to play. And when opportunity literally knocked, it was to good to pass up.
The life of a walk-on isn’t exactly glamorous. You’re not on scholarship and you have to work harder than most to prove yourself. But usually, that hard work pays off, which is exactly what happened for senior nose tackle Sam Burt.
He was one of Les Miles’ first KU recruits and he’s quickly becoming a defensive leader for the Jayhawks. Sophomore safety Kenny Logan Jr. has made a big leap from his rookie season to now, and as the little brother of a two-time All-American at Florida, Logan has big dreams for his own career trajectory at Kansas.
Mark Francis’ love of soccer has taken him halfway around the world to Lawrence, where he’s transformed the Jayhawk program into one of nation’s best. That rise has included the program’s first Big 12 Tournament Championship title in 2019 and a Top-10 national ranking this season.
With a nickname like “The Gravedigger,” you better be a nightmare for the opposing team. And Gilbert Brown was just that—an imposing figure who was dominate over offensive lines throughout his college and NFL careers.
Kwamie Lassiter II was destined to play at Kansas. After all, his dad was an All-Big 8 performer and an Aloha Bowl champion defensive back for the Jayhawks. The elder Lassiter then went on to have a 10-year NFL career – spending eight of those seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
Andrew Parchment is a preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection, a Biletnikoff Award nominee and the clear go-to receiver for the Kansas Jayhawks. The stage is set for a memorable senior campaign and perhaps an NFL future as well. But get this – it almost didn’t happen.
He’s the most prolific passer in KU football history. He helped engineer the greatest two-year stretch the program has ever seen. Todd Reesing is as legendary as it gets when it comes to Kansas Football.
Since Big 12 play began in 1996, there’s only been one Jayhawk football player to win the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award. That player is Nick Reid and he did so at a position he never played prior to arriving at KU.
