ROCK CHALK, JAYHAWK
Allen Fieldhouse, University of Kansas, Lawrence
H e broke our hearts. We loved him, we trusted him, we adored him, and, dadgummit, he broke our hearts.
For fifteen golden years, ROY WILLIAMS was the heart of KU Jayhawk basketball. He quickly established himself as an outstanding coach. The fastest to win 100 games. One of the fastest to 400. Four Final Fours, two national finals. The highest winning percentage (.804) of any active coach in America. More than that, his endearing country twang and straightforward style made fans and media love him all the more.
In 2000, Williams was presented with the most difficult decision of his professional life. Bill Guthridge, North Carolina coach and former K-Stater had resigned after 3 seasons. Williams, a Carolina native, player, and assistant coach under Dean Smith, with children attending school at Chapel Hill, was the instant No. 1 choice to replace him. Roy was posed with the awesome choice between coaching at KU and North Carolina, and being desperately wanted by both. He chose to stay at KU.
Then in 2003, another vacancy occurred when Matt Doherty left the Tar Heels. Roy rocked the basketball world on April 14, 2003, when he accepted the job as head coach at North Carolina. Again torn between the two schools, this time he couldn’t pass up the chance to go home and fulfill his dream. For Jayhawk fans, the phrase “mixed feelings” doesn’t begin to describe it. Dadgummit. But Roy Williams will always be a memorable part of Jayhawk history.
For fifteen golden years, ROY WILLIAMS was the heart of KU Jayhawk basketball. He quickly established himself as an outstanding coach. The fastest to win 100 games. One of the fastest to 400. Four Final Fours, two national finals. The highest winning percentage (.804) of any active coach in America. More than that, his endearing country twang and straightforward style made fans and media love him all the more.
In 2000, Williams was presented with the most difficult decision of his professional life. Bill Guthridge, North Carolina coach and former K-Stater had resigned after 3 seasons. Williams, a Carolina native, player, and assistant coach under Dean Smith, with children attending school at Chapel Hill, was the instant No. 1 choice to replace him. Roy was posed with the awesome choice between coaching at KU and North Carolina, and being desperately wanted by both. He chose to stay at KU.
Then in 2003, another vacancy occurred when Matt Doherty left the Tar Heels. Roy rocked the basketball world on April 14, 2003, when he accepted the job as head coach at North Carolina. Again torn between the two schools, this time he couldn’t pass up the chance to go home and fulfill his dream. For Jayhawk fans, the phrase “mixed feelings” doesn’t begin to describe it. Dadgummit. But Roy Williams will always be a memorable part of Jayhawk history.
The arena where Williams worked his magic for fifteen years is always referred to as the “storied” Allen Fieldhouse. Named for Forrest C. “Phog” Allen, who coached the Jayhawks through forty seasons, he is the “Father of Basketball Coaching” for his innovative methods and systems, coach of national champions
and the gold-medal U.S. Olympic team. The 1955 fieldhouse radiates basketball history. At 16,300 capacity, it is the largest gym in the state. The list of names aren’t just famous, they are foundational to the game of basketball. Wilt Chamberlain. Jo Jo White. Danny Manning. Lynette Woodard. Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce. |
The coaches are legendary. Phog, Dick Harp, Ted Owens, Larry Brown and now Roy. Marian Washington has coached the women for three decades. Faithful broadcaster Max Falkenstein has seen it all. The list of players could go on for miles.
Bill Self stepped in to coach, and made his own mark in history, with an NCAA championship in 2008 sparked by Mario Chalmers’ historic 3-point shot in the final.
Some moments will live in Jayhawk fans’ hearts forever. Wilt’s crushing dominance. Bud Stallworth’s 50-point performance. Come-from-behind victories. Sticking 150 points on Kentucky. The 1997 Senior Day flowers raining onto the floor as thrown by adoring fans. Wilt’s return to see his number retired, his tear-stained face urging “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” just a few months before he died. The 100th anniversary of KU basketball in 1998, bringing back letter-winners and selling out the old-timers game.
Sometimes players come, not fully understanding the history of this school. History dawns on them when they see the name of James Naismith, the game’s inventor and KU’s first coach—on the street, the dorm, painted on the court, for heaven’s sake. Visitors marvel at the impressive championship banners and the row of retired numbers. So just what is it about this building that’s so magical? The answer is mystical, almost spiritual. Just look up to the banner on the north end. Pay heed, all who enter; beware of the PHOG.
Bill Self stepped in to coach, and made his own mark in history, with an NCAA championship in 2008 sparked by Mario Chalmers’ historic 3-point shot in the final.
Some moments will live in Jayhawk fans’ hearts forever. Wilt’s crushing dominance. Bud Stallworth’s 50-point performance. Come-from-behind victories. Sticking 150 points on Kentucky. The 1997 Senior Day flowers raining onto the floor as thrown by adoring fans. Wilt’s return to see his number retired, his tear-stained face urging “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” just a few months before he died. The 100th anniversary of KU basketball in 1998, bringing back letter-winners and selling out the old-timers game.
Sometimes players come, not fully understanding the history of this school. History dawns on them when they see the name of James Naismith, the game’s inventor and KU’s first coach—on the street, the dorm, painted on the court, for heaven’s sake. Visitors marvel at the impressive championship banners and the row of retired numbers. So just what is it about this building that’s so magical? The answer is mystical, almost spiritual. Just look up to the banner on the north end. Pay heed, all who enter; beware of the PHOG.
(far above) “Beware of the Phog” banner on the north end of the arena. (above left) Roy Williams on James Naismith Court. (above right) Coach Roy going from the locker room through the “tunnel” to the court. (below) Coach Williams in Allen Field House, where he coached the Jayhawks for fifteen glorious years.