Alumni march to Atlanta to rally behind 'Hawks

Alumni didn't need to reach to hug one another as the band played "The Crimson and the Blue" at KU's Final Four rally March 30 in Atlanta. They already were elbow to elbow, close enough for comfort and camaraderie as more than 2,500 Jayhawks crowded into a hotel ballroom for a rally featuring the Spirit Squad, KU Pep Band and rousing Rock Chalk chants.

"I wouldn't have missed this for anything," said Stephen Southern, e'83, of Wichita, who traveled with his friend Randy Spear, b'80, to follow the 'Hawks. "This is my first Final Four, and I've decided that, win or lose, I'm going to enjoy this weekend. Seeing old friends makes it all worthwhile. This isn't just about basketball."

The room was packed shortly after the doors opened for the 3 p.m. event at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Buckhead, an Atlanta suburb that played host to the team and KU faithful. In fact, Jayhawks carried the party out into the hallway, down the stairs and through the lobby for much of Saturday afternoon. The celebration, hosted by the Kansas Alumni Association and KU Athletics, drew enthusiastic fans of all ages, 700 of whom participated in a travel package offered jointly by the two organizations along with Dodds Athletic Tours of Champaign, Ill.

Clad in KU blue (the sensible fashion choice, considering the other three teams' fans wore red), gleaming spirit beads, Jayhawk tattoos, flashing red- and blue-lighted earrings, and all manner of regalia- including an odd assortment of Crimson and Blue wigs- alumni and friends filled the Marriott, headquarters for Roy and the Boys, and two adjacent hotels to revel in countless reunions and the Jayhawks' return to the Final Four after nine years.

Talk of basketball tradition abounded as alumni proudly pointed to former players who turned out for the occasion, including at least three members of the 1952 championship team and numerous other Jayhawks, including:

-Bill Hougland, b'52; Al Kelley, d'54; and Dean Smith, d'53, who also won two championships during his legendary tenure as North Carolina coach
-longtime KU stalwart Bob Billings, c'59
-1971 Final Four long-range shooter Bud Stallworth, s'78, and Ken Koenigs, c'78, m'82, an Academic All-American, both of whom played for Ted Owens
-Milton Newton, d'89, and Sean Pearson, s'89, of Larry Brown's 1988 championship team
-Alonzo Jamison, '91, of Williams' '91 Final Four team, and Eric Pauley, c'93, Greg Gurley, b'96, and T.J. Whatley, e'97, of the 1993 Final Four squad
-Scot Pollard, d'97, Jerod Haase, b'97, and Jacque Vaughn, b'97, from Williams' famed '97 team.

Of course, basketball misfortune temporarily soured the mood late Saturday night after KU's semifinal loss to Maryland, 97-88. But Jayhawks rallied again Monday night before the championship game; more than 400 attended a decidedly lower-key reception at the Marriott, determined to reunite at another Final Four. Chancellor Robert E. Hemenway captured the crowd's sentiments: "When you go home, I want you to pack a bag with supplies for four or five days and stow it in the closet.

"Then, next year, you'll be ready to go when we all meet again in New Orleans."

Photos by Mike Yoder

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