The Death Knell of College Athletics?

Yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board, Region 13 in Chicago, ruled that football players at Northwestern University had the right to unionize.  The NLRB ruled that the players were not "student-athletes" but instead were "employees" of the University.  The end result of this ruling is that college athletics as we know it, including the NCAA Tournament, is done.


The immediate reaction from the NCAA, and all major conferences (and by extension, their member schools) was to condemn the ruling.  Of course, the major fear is that the players will strike at some point, or the athletic department will lock out the athletes.  There are certainly compelling arguments that the athletes are more like employees than students.  They put in many hours during the week, sacrificing study time and class time in order to practice extensively, travel, and perform at a high level.  Let's face it, many athletes' scholarship to the university is more often based on athletic performance than academic performance.  Too many straight A students likely means an inferior performance on the field, as practice time gets sacrificed for studies.  Coaches who graduate their kids, with many of them making superior grades, but lose on the field of competition will lose their jobs.  Meanwhile, coaches who win, win, win and do a poor, poor job graduating kids and preparing them for life beyond college will make millions.  Other goals for the college athletes' union are guaranteed medical expense coverage for sports-related injuries (especially concussions), and the freedom of the athlete to pursue commercial sponsorships, such as shoe endorsement deals.


For now, the recruitment of athletes to a particular university's team could also change dramatically.  This ruling, for now, is a huge possible win for private universities over public institutions.  The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over public universities.  Imagine a scenario where a highly sought after athlete is contemplating an offer from a public university and one from a private university.  The public university's pitch is something like this, "You can come to our school, with our great coach and contend for conference and national titles year after year.  We will help you academically with tutors as needed, and we will excuse you from practice if needed so that you tend to school work.  We will practice 17 hours per week (or whatever the NCAA allows), and you will also have study hall time.  You will be provided the cost of tuition, room, books, board and fees."  The private institution's pitch goes like this, "When you come to our university, you will not be a student, you will be an employee.  We will pay you $100,000 per year, and you are under no obligation to ever go to class since you are not a student.  We will practice 3 hours per day, plus you will be expected to be in the weight room another two hours per day.  You will play for Coach X, who has sent numerous players to the professional ranks.  If you want to enroll in any classes, we have an agreement with the university, but you do that on your own time.  You are here to play ball.  All that is required of you is to pay your union dues to remain eligible and we'd encourage you to pay your taxes to keep the IRS off your butt.  That is all."  Perfectly legal under the NLRB's ruling.  Which option do you think the kid will take?  Of course, I would expect this loophole to close very quickly.  Democrats would be all for welcoming in new union members and Republicans would have to grudgingly go along in support of their (oftentimes) alma mater.


At some point, this will ultimately lead to a break between a university and the athletic department.  The athletic department's number one function will be to prepare its top athletes for professional careers.  These people will never attend an actual class at the university.  Instead, there will be some sort of agreement to allow the team to wear the name of the university in exchange for some kind of consideration.  There will also need to be agreements on what to do about athletic facilities that sit on university property.  Will the university sell the facilities to the athletic department?  Will the athletic departments lease the facilities?  Who will own the parking lots?   Who will be responsible for maintenance?  Who will be responsible for insurance payments?  But I do ultimately believe that if this ruling stands, there will be a separation of the athletic department from the university.  And that will hurt the honest student-athlete.  And there are many student-athletes at any university, both in the minor, or non-revenue, sports and the major revenue producing sports.  What happens to the softball player, the tennis player, or the swimmer?  What happens to the student who truly wants an education, that comes under the supervision of a separate athletic department that is not interested in seeing that the athlete receives a solid college education?  These are the people that yesterday's ruling will hurt.


Finally, what happens to the NCAA in this situation and most specifically, what happens to the NCAA Tournament?  For one, the Tournament is too profitable to let sit idly by.  This Tournament does cover the majority of the NCAA's budget.  Remember, the football bowl games are not governed by the NCAA.  With athletic departments free to pay players, and not having to worry about their academic eligibility, the enforcement arm of the NCAA (which is its primary purpose) will no longer be necessary, and this will free up athletic departments everywhere from having to continue their membership in the NCAA.


Reminds me of that old saying:  Be careful what it is that you pray for.  You might actually get it.  Ultimately, I would like to see the NLRB's ruling overturned.  There are better ways to address the athlete's grievances without destroying college athletics. 

Hosting the Perfect Super Bowl Party

I will be the first to admit that I am one of those dorks who watches the Super Bowl because I want to see a football game.  This will be the last football game I see until late August (at the earliest), so I do want to enjoy it.  I do not care one bit for the commercials.  To  me, commercials are the time to refresh your plate or use the bathroom.  I do not care for the pregame either.  I do not really need to know which celebrities are at the game.  But, it is fun to get together with friends to watch the game.  However, I am some combination of utterly amazed and stupefied at the same time when I see all the websites dedicated to helping one (primarily women) throw the perfect Super Bowl party.  So here in this one space is my tribute to how men and women go about hosting the perfect Super Bowl party.  And yes, I know this is very stereotypical.  So shoot me, this is what this whole exercise is about!




How Men Host the Perfect Super Bowl Party
Really, it does not take much effort here.  Us guys are pretty simple and easy to please.  Just call up a few buddies a few days before kickoff.  Here is our idea of the perfect Super Bowl party:




1.  An awesome big screen TV, with 1080p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate.  This is obviously top of the line stuff.  This is just a suggestion, not mandatory, but it will not take much coaxing to get a few guys together if you have the awesome TV!  It can make your whole Super Bowl party one to remember.




2.  Beer and sodas.  It does not matter what kind of beer or what kind of soda (as long as it is not diet soda).




3.  Food A couple of pizzas, a couple of buckets of wings, and chips and dip.  The dip could be Pace picante sauce or you could make a rotel tomato and Velveeta dip if you're going all out.  And don't forget the ranch dressing if you're having wings.  If you do not have ranch dressing, go to the grocery store and get a bottle.




4.  A couple of nice couches would add a nice touch.  If not, a few card table chairs will do.




5.  A couple of extra items:  perhaps you could have the guys bring over some money for all the side bets you'll make with each other.  And make sure your toilets work!




How Women Host the Perfect Super Bowl Party
Guys, this could get painful to read. Be sure you have some time if you're going to read this!  The ladies get into this whole party thing more than we do.  And, I am not even sure they care that much about the game itself.  I have also added, parenthetically, a man's commentary.  Since I am single, I can say what all you married are thinking, but cannot say.  Here is a woman's idea of the perfect Super Bowl party:




1.  It starts with a theme (Huh??).  Since it is the Super Bowl, we will want to have the proper theme.  Are your guests all rooting for the same team?  Then you can have a theme around either Seattle or Denver.  Otherwise, if you have fans rooting for both teams, you will want to keep it to a simple generic football theme.   You will need to know your theme because it leads right into point 2:




2.  Colors.  (What the hell?)  If your guests are all rooting for the same team you can use that teams colors.  Otherwise, you will want to mix and match the two teams colors (blue and green for Seattle, blue and orange for Denver).  Or  you may want to use a neutral color if you think these respective teams have hideous color combinations.  You will need to know your colors fairly soon so that you can pick out matching plates, napkins and cups.  Since a Super Bowl is a casual occasion, paper plates, napkins and cups are all appropriate and it makes for easy clean up afterwards!  Having your colors picked out will also give you time to get your streamers and balloons all thought out before your big day.  Also, you will want to find the proper matching online invitations that you can email to all your invited guests.  Proper etiquette dictates that you should send out your invitations 13 days in advance, although 12 days should also give your guests plenty of time to make plans.




3. Food (finally the good stuff!).  You will want to keep this simple so let's start with chips and dip.  You will want to have a variety of dips, such as 7 layer dip, spinach/artichoke dip, homemade pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, and yes, even have the rotel tomato and velveeta cheese dip.  That should keep it simple while giving your guests plenty of choices.  You will also want to have a vegetable tray and a fruit tray for healthy alternatives to the chips and dip.  While the vegetable dip will likely be ranch dressing (use buttermilk for the best homemade ranch dressing), you can use yogurt for the dip to your fruit tray.  You can also use the Internet here to find some truly unique recipes to try with your guests.  You can find plenty of healthy choices here so that while you eat, you are also maintaining a healthy diet.  You can also try something a little different such as a potato bar at your party.  Or set aside a couple bowls of M&M's in decorative bowls, each with the teams colors in M&M's (blue and green M&M's for Seattle or blue and orange M&M's for Denver!).  Doing something truly different will add that little bit of festiveness to your party that your guests will talk about for a long time!  You will want to give yourself several days to put together your Super Bowl party menu. (Do we really have to do all that??)




4.  Drinks (how hard can this be, right?)  Of course, you will want to have plenty of drinks on hand to satisfy those thirsty guests.  You will want to have plenty of beer on hand, and here you can add your own unique flavor.  You can serve that really unique local brew to your guests, or the one with a truly one of a kind name.  Your guests are sure to get a kick out of trying something new and you are helping a small local brewer as opposed to the big national brands.  Plus, you will need to have a couple bottles each of red wine and white wine.  You will also want plenty of soda on hand for the kids or for your guests who would prefer soda.  You will need lots of diet soda for your girlfriends who want to limit their calorie intake and do not forget the bottled water.




5.  Seating Make sure you have plenty of seating for your guests.  If needed, a few extra card table chairs around the TV is a perfectly acceptable arrangement.  After all, you will want to have plenty of seating for your guests!  This will be especially true when the commercials come on.  After all, who doesn't watch the commercials during the Super Bowl? (Me!  That's who!).  Of course you will want to be able to discuss your favorite commercials in detail with the other ladies in the office on Monday morning!!




6. Housecleaning  Nothing can ruin your perfect Super Bowl party like a dirty house, especially the bathrooms (and I was thinking nothing could ruin it like over-the-top planning!).  The day of the game, you will want to go around to all the bathrooms and make sure each is spotlessly clean.  It would also be a nice touch to add a basket of some unique soaps, still in the packaging of course, and some decorative towels.  Just make sure to wash your hands at least a dozen times after you are done.  (Nothing like a little overkill to add to the drama!)




7.  Look fabulous for your guests!  Nothing tops off the perfect Super Bowl party quite like looking your very best and coming across to your guests like it was all very easy.  Your guests will marvel at how easily you pulled this off and soon you will be counted to throw the Super Bowl party each year!  How fun!!




Guys are you as completely dazed and confused as I am?  And what about that awesome TV??  Don't you need that too?  Did you just read that and realize that your own "honey do" list just grew exponentially?  I realize that about 80% of this is completely unnecessary.  After all, how many of our guy friends would walk away from our Super Bowl party and comment, "Boy, that Lou really knows how to decorate his house for a party!"




But, if your wife (or your girlfriend) is one to throw such a party, be sure to thank her afterwards.  It will mean a lot to her that you realized her efforts and took the time to acknowledge it.  And, in the end, you may realize how truly blessed you really are.

Ten Sentences, 272 Words

One hundred fifty years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered the greatest speech ever by an American president.  The speech was all of ten sentences and 272 words long.  It took two minutes to deliver.  Here is the text to that speech:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
 Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.  But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 
Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

Of course, this is the Gettysburg Address, delivered on November 19, 1863, on the same battlefield that was the sight of one of the decisive battles of the Civil War.  In this short speech, President Lincoln has brought forth every ideal that our nation was founded upon.  Liberty.  All men are created equal.  And representative government "of the people, by the people and for the people that shall not perish from the earth."

That day, the featured speaker was a man named Edward Everett, a former Secretary of State and famous orator of the day.  He delivered a two hour, 13,607 word speech that is not much remembered today.  His speech was to be the "Gettysburg Address."  After Lincoln's remarks, Mr. Everett himself knew he did not convey the full meaning of the day in two hours like the President had in two minutes.  Thank you Mr. Lincoln.

Did He or Didn't He Act Alone?

November 22, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination and I am already anticipating a slew of news stories on the conspiracy theories surrounding this murder.  About the only thing these conspiracy theories truly prove is that there a lot of people who had a motive to murder the President.  The most popular of the conspiracy theories is that Vice President Lyndon Johnson did it.  Other theories say it was Fidel Castro, it was the mob, it was the CIA, it was the FBI.  Still others say Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.  Of course, the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination concluded that Oswald acted alone and used the "single bullet" to prove its point.  However, in a recent poll, 59% of Americans still believe there was a conspiracy to kill the President.

To my untrained mind, the conspiracy theory that makes the most sense is that the CIA in conjunction with the mafia were responsible for the killing.  Seems an odd combination.  However, during the Kennedy administration, the CIA had reached out to Sam Giancana, the head of the Chicago Outfit, and enlisted the mobsters help in a plot to assassinate Fidel Castro.  The plot never came about, largely because the FBI, which was doing its own surveillance of Giancana stumbled upon some CIA surveillance equipment at his offices one day.  Normally, the mafia did not do hits on politicians of any kind (they would just buy them), especially national leaders.  But, Giancana's willingness to help out indicated that the mob would be open to the idea.  Further, the Kennedy's had double crossed the mob.  That was usually good for a death sentence, so the idea of the mob wanting to take out the President does not seem far fetched.

Sometime in either 1959 or 1960, Jack Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, approached Giancana and asked the mobster if he could deliver the votes necessary to carry Illinois for Kennedy.  In return, Kennedy promised the mobster that the government would get off his back.  The elder Mr. Kennedy also wanted Giancana to get the New York mob to cancel a contract that it had put out on Joseph Kennedy's life, too.  During the late 1950's, after New York state police exposed the mob as a national crime syndicate (something J Edgar Hoover denied all along until this bust), Congress went after the mob hard.  Giancana was subpoenaed to testify and during this testimony, a young Bobby Kennedy publicly embarrassed the mobster by comparing him to a school girl.  After Jack Kennedy was elected President in 1960, with Giancana doing his part, Robert Kennedy was named Attorney General and his pursuit of the mob intensified.  The mob had been double crossed.  So we can definitely establish a motive for the mob to go after Kennedy.

But what about the CIA?  Why would the CIA have been involved?  It all started with the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.  The Bay of Pigs invasion was to be conducted by Cuban nationals based out of Miami and trained by the CIA.  They would invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, and would receive US air support.  The Eisenhower Administration approved it.  My own thought on this was that this invasion was Vice-President Nixon's idea, and he would carry it out after he was elected.  Senator Kennedy was briefed on it - and I believe it was very brief.  Kennedy gave his go ahead, but when the invasion went badly, he pulled the air support.  Afterward, Kennedy was quoted as saying he wanted to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it to the wind.  The animosity between the CIA and Kennedy was short-lived.  Except in the Miami office.  They never forgave Kennedy for his desertion of the invasion.  And this could be where the plot was hatched.

The most prominent agents in the Miami office were Howard Hunt, the station chief, and Frank Sturgis.  President Kennedy's popularity among Cuban exiles and nationals was practically non-existent and the hate was very high.  Hunt and Sturgis obviously knew this.  And the CIA had worked with the mob before and could have contacted them to see about the viability of all this.

And even here, it starts to break down for me.  First, I believe that in the case of Hunt and Sturgis, their first loyalties were always to Richard Nixon.  Both would go on to work for President Nixon's "Plumbers" unit and Sturgis would actually go on to be one of the Watergate burglars.  How did all of this come about?  Who financed what part of the effort?  Who provided the arms?  Who really directed the cover up?  While I do not believe that Vice President Johnson was ever directly involved in the assassination, he clearly put himself in charge of the investigation.  Normally, the investigation would have been handled by the Attorney General, but with Robert Kennedy as the AG (a man Johnson hated even more than the President), there was no way Johnson was going to put him in charge of it.  Not with a cover-up to direct.  With the assassination occurring in Texas, it was easy for Johnson's people on the ground to do their part.  No autopsy was performed in Texas (going against Texas law), the body was immediately removed from the hospital and flown to DC on Air Force One.  Then Johnson appointed the members of the Warren Commission to investigate and the rest is history. 

In this theory, Richard Nixon would have been some kind of facilitator.  First, Nixon always had close ties to the mob.  Second, Nixon had a long friendship with Kennedy that went ice cold after the 1960 campaign.  Third, I have long thought that Nixon and Johnson were political soul mates.  Both ruthless, highly corrupt, power hungry.  I believe that Nixon could have brought the parties together and it was likely Nixon who informed Johnson of what was going on and it was Nixon who got Johnson's buy-in to the whole idea.  Nixon's team would do the job, and Johnson would direct the cover-up.  I have long thought that after he became President himself, Nixon referred to this assassination way too much, and he spoke way too authoritatively about it.  One place where this breaks down for me is the placement of Texas Governor John Connally in the same car as the President.  I'm sure Nixon assured Johnson that nothing was going to happen to him that day.  But Connally was in a dangerous position.  Connally was a very good friend of both Johnson and Nixon (especially Johnson).  In fact, Connally would go on to serve as Treasury Secretary for President Nixon.

Certainly, this theory has holes in it.  Yet it is the most plausible of all conspiracy theories to me.  I'm not sure I believe it.  Then again, I am not sure I believe that Oswald acted alone either.

Thoughts & (Hopefully) Some Perspective on Government Shutdown

Whew!  We made it through the first week of the US government shutdown and the world did not end.  However, I could not help but notice lots of talk about this on my Facebook page, particularly from my liberal/Democrat friends.  Certainly, there was plenty of commentary about how this shutdown was entirely the Republican's fault.  It simply isn't that easy.

 

A problem this big was not caused by one party alone.  Both sides share equally in the blame for this shutdown and both sides share equally in the failure to date to come to an agreement.  Neither side will talk to the other, which makes any kind of agreement impossible.  The tactics employed by both sides are disgraceful.  Find me one adult, find me one leader in this whole mess.  There are none.  The Republican strategy of defunding the portions of the budget that include the Affordable Care Act are simply delusional.  Whether you like it or not, it is the law of the land and should receive appropriate funding.  For the Democrats to blame Republicans for the shutdown while they refuse to even bring one continuing resolution to a vote to keep the government operating is equally reprehensible.  And the President's failure to talk with congressional leaders of either party is an utter lack of leadership, which has been a recurring theme in his Presidency.  There is plenty of blame for all parties, not just one. 

 

Regarding the Affordable Care Act, the Republicans are right to argue about it.  Why should they embrace this law?  This law was passed on a strictly partisan basis, with bought votes in the middle of the night in back rooms, and through legislative sleight of hand by the Senate Majority Leader.  They are right to question whether or not this will truly lead to higher quality, more affordable health care.  They are right to question all the law's selling points in light of American businesses, particularly small businesses, conducting their affairs in perverse and sometimes strange ways to keep themselves operating in light of this law.  To watch small businesses doing handstands and cart wheels to avoid this law's mandates is sad, and for this country's leaders to sit back, watch it happen and do nothing is inexcusable.  Remember when it used to be a milestone for a company to hire its 50th employee?  Now, it is a millstone to be avoided at all costs.  Company's big and small should not have to cut benefits, especially to spouses and children, cut employee hours or fire workers to avoid the high costs associated with this law.  But, that is what's happening, whether at the community bank or at companies as large as Walgreen's and UPS.  It is not a "settled" law as the President says, and my best guess is that it will not be settled and accepted for at least another 2 to 3 generations, largely because of the manner in which this bill was passed into law.

 

Republicans need to accept that this is the law of the land and allow it to be funded.  Democrats need to understand that this is a deeply flawed law that is hurting American business and is damaging the economy.  And maybe...a big maybe...both sides can be grown up adults, talk to each other and see if a solution can be reached.  I need to pause so that I can stop laughing at that last statement.  This is going to take leadership, something that is utterly lacking in Washington these days, and maybe a miracle or two.

 

What this means for 2014 Elections

Unfortunately for Democrats, the Republicans hold all the cards in the 2014 mid term elections.  Never underestimate the Republicans ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.  But as of now, they are in a clear position of strength.  First, the party that does not hold the White House usually gains congressional seats in the mid-term elections.  They usually have the more fired up voting base.  Next, the Republicans are trying to do away with an unpopular law.  Every opinion poll over the past 3 1/2 years shows that over 50% of the people surveyed disapprove of this law.  The latest polls from CNN and the New York Times show a roughly 3-2 edge for those who disapprove of the law.  The strategy the Republicans are employing is numbingly stupid, but polling data shows they are on the right side of this issue.  Finally, the Republicans in the house are largely in very safe districts while the Democrats are quite vulnerable in the Senate.  Currently, the Republicans hold 234 House seats while the Democrats hold 201.  In a recent article, Sean Trende of Real Clear Politics noted that Republican incumbents only hold 17 House seats in which that district voted for Obama in 2012. In other words, lots of safe Republican seats.  The Democrats would have to win all 17 of these seats while losing none themselves to Republicans to regain a majority.  Not likely to happen, and I would be amazed if the Democrats gain as many as 5 seats.  Meanwhile, Democrats must defend 22 of the 33 Senate seats up for election in 2014, including 8 in states won by Mitt Romney in 2012 (7 of those states Romney won by a double digit margin). 

 

 

 

 

Pay Heed All Who Enter - A Tribute to Phog Allen



Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen
 

Thirty nine years ago today, September 16, 1974, legendary Kansas basketball coach, Phog Allen, passed away at the age of 88 in Lawrence, Ks.  While Dr. Allen was most known for his legendary coaching tenure at KU, and for the building at KU named in his honor, he was a most extraordinary man in many other ways.

To say that Phog Allen was perhaps the most influential and extraordinary person in basketball history would be an understatement.  Forrest Clare Allen was born in November, 1885 in Jamesport, Missouri, a community most notable today as an Amish community in north, central Missouri.  At an early age, he moved with his family to Independence, Missouri, where he grew up.  Allen graduated from William Chrisman High School (then Independence High) in Independence, Mo and as he pondered his college decision, he narrowed his choices to two schools:  the University of Missouri in Columbia and the University of Kansas in Lawrence.  Allen chose KU because at that time the city of Lawrence had paved roads and Columbia did not.  He took this as a sign that Lawrence was a more progressive, forward-looking city, and that KU would be a better place for him.

Allen lettered in basketball for 3 years and baseball for two years at KU.  It was also at KU that he launched his coaching career, first coaching at Baker University  in Baldwin, Kansas, about 10 miles south of Lawrence.  He coached Baker for 3 seasons (yes, while he was a student at KU and lettering in basketball at KU), and compiled a 45-9 record.  During the fall of 1907, he began coaching KU after Dr. James Naismith, the founder of the game, left KU.  Phog would coach both KU and Baker that year (this would be his third and final season at Baker), compiling a combined 31-12 record.  His record at KU was 18-6, and he coached the Jayhawks to a 6-0 conference record in the newly formed Missouri Valley conference.  KU would win the conference again in the 1908-1909 season, with a 25-3 record and an 8-2 conference record.  During the 1908-1909 season, Phog coached the Haskell Indian Institute basketball team, located in Lawrence, to a 27-5 record, in his only season as their coach.

After the 1908-1909 season, Phog left his positions in basketball to return to school and study Osteopathy at the Kansas College of Osteopathy.  Osteopathy is the study of manipulating bones and joints to treat injuries, particularly to the back, knees and ankles.  At that time, it was still considered a controversial form of treatment, but Dr. Allen would go on to have a successful medical practice as an osteopath after he retired from coaching. 

Dr. Allen resumed his coaching career after he completed his medical degree, coaching both football and basketball at Warrensburg Teachers College (today known as the University of Central Missouri), in Warrensburg, Mo.  He coached the football team for six seasons, compiling a 29-17 record, and in seven seasons as the basketball coach, compiled an 84-31 record.  After the completion of the 1918-1919 school years, Dr. Allen returned to Kansas.

Dr. Allen came back to KU in 1919 as the school’s first Athletic Director, a position he would hold until 1937.  Doc also coached the KU football team in 1920, compiling a 5-2-1 record.  But his greatest glory would come in basketball, where he would coach KU for the next 37 seasons.  In the end, Doc Allen would coach 50 seasons (39 at KU) and would compile a 746-264 record overall and a 590-219 record at KU.  The Jayhawks won 24 conference titles under Dr. Allen, as they played at various times in the Missouri Valley, Big Six and Big Seven conferences.  Phog would also win 3 national championships at KU, including the 1952 NCAA Tournament.

Contributions to Basketball Outside KU

A young Phog Allen with Dr. James Naismith

For reasons that are at best incomprehensible, the dribble was outlawed in basketball back in 1927.  This was a move that so infuriated Dr. Allen that he called a meeting of various coaches in Des Moines, Iowa after the Drake Relays.  He stirred up so much dissension with his protests that the dribble was re-instated, and out of that protest the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) was formed.  Dr. Allen served as the organization’s first president.  Today, the NABC has over 5,000 members, primarily high school and college basketball coaches.  The organization still serves as a “guardian of the game”.  Several years later, the NABC would dream up the idea of having a national championship tournament, sponsored by the NCAA.  Theirs would gather all the major conference champions, plus a few select independents.  Their first tournament was held in 1939 in Evanston, Illinois.  Oregon won the tournament, but it was a financial disaster, and the NCAA wanted to scrap it.  It was Phog Allen who stepped in and lobbied the NCAA to give this tournament another chance.  He requested that the NCAA move the tournament to Kansas City, and move their headquarters there as well.  He assured the NCAA that he could make the 1940 tournament profitable and he did just that.  The 1940 tournament was won by Indiana, beating Phog Allen’s Kansas team 60-42 in the championship game.  More importantly, the tournament was a financial success.  Today, the NCAA Tournament is one of the nation’s biggest sporting events.  For those of you who enjoy “March Madness” today, you can thank Phog Allen’s desperate lobby for a second chance.

Dr. Allen’s proudest professional contribution to basketball involved his efforts to make basketball an Olympic sport.  He was the leading voice in making basketball an Olympic sport and basketball debuted in the Olympics in the Berlin games of 1936.  All the medals were presented by Dr. James Naismith, the game’s inventor.  The United States dominated the Olympics, winning all gold medals between 1936 and 1968, and not losing a game.   As he neared death, Dr. Allen requested that he be buried in his “USA Basketball” outfit, signifying the prominence that he gave to this accomplishment in his life.



Doc and Dean Smith

Dr. Allen also coached many players at KU who would go on to contribute to the game of basketball at other schools.  At KU, he coached Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Dutch Longborg, Ralph Miller, and Dean Smith.  At one time, Allen had coached 3 of the 10 winningest coaches in NCAA history (and Doc himself was a fourth in that top 10 list).  Both Rupp and Smith would retire from their respective jobs as college basketball’s all time winningest coach.  I think it is fair to ask where would the Kentucky and North Carolina (two of the three all-time winningest programs in history, with KU being the third) programs be today without Phog Allen.  And he would coach Hall of Fame players Paul Endacott, Bill Johnson and Clyde Lovellette.  He would coach KU to the 1952 NCAA Championship and to two runner-up finishes in 1940 and 1953.  He would also successfully recruit to KU the most dominant player in the history of the game to that point, Wilt Chamberlain.  In what has to be a tribute to the reach he had on the game of basketball, Miami Heat General Manager Pat Riley, a 5 time NBA Championship coach, once said that he was in a sense, “of Kansas.”  Significant because Riley never played at Kansas, never coached at Kansas, never played against Kansas, never coached against Kansas.  Riley did play at Kentucky for Adolph Rupp, who played for Phog Allen at Kansas.  And to this, Riley traces his basketball heritage.

Allen Fieldhouse



Phog Allen in Allen Fieldhouse

For most of Dr. Allen’s career at KU, the Jayhawks played their games in a theater, Hoch (pronounced hoke) Auditorium.  There was even a place where the baseline intersected with one of the theater’s walls.  In the late 1940’s, Kansas State University Athletic Director Michael Ahern successfully lobbied the Kansas Legislature for funds to build a new basketball facility on the Wildcats’ campus.  Completed in 1951, Ahern Fieldhouse seated 11,220 fans and was certainly a sparkling addition to the K-State campus.  Doc decided that KU needed something even bigger and better and he lobbied the Kansas Legislature for funds to build a new basketball facility for the Jayhawks.  His only request of the Legislature was that the KU facility be bigger than K-State’s.  What he got was not only bigger than K-State’s, but bigger than almost anybody else’s at the time.  Doc always maintained that the fieldhouse held 17,000 fans (though the official capacity was more like 16,000.  The building was named in his honor, and the Jayhawks debuted it March 1, 1955 against Kansas State with a 77-67 Jayhawk victory.  Doc would also get to coach the Jayhawks for one full season in its new facility before he was forced to retire by law (Kansas required state employees to retire by age 70, which Allen reached in November 1955).  K-State’s Ahern Fieldhouse was retired in 1988 as a basketball facility.  KU still plays in Allen Fieldhouse, nearly 60 years after it was built.  And it remains one of the best college basketball venues in the nation.

Pay Heed All Who Enter – Beware of the Phog

The Original "Pay Heed" Banner

Allen earned the nickname “Phog” early in life because of his voice, which people said sounded like a foghorn.  He never really cared for the nickname, and much preferred “Doc” reflecting his profession.  Although quite a colorful character himself he did not tolerate nonsense from his players.  If he heard that you were carousing in Lawrence late on a Saturday night, he would roust you out of bed at the crack of dawn Sunday morning and make you play handball with him (Doc was quite a handball player).  Many a player got his butt whipped at the game by the coach, who also used the opportunity to lecture his player on the evils of late nights.  One of his former players, Otto Schnellbacher, also recalled the time he took a girl out for a Coke date in Lawrence, and was soon summoned to Dr. Allen’s office.  He was told thttp://www.rockchalk.com/john/john/banner.htmlhat he could do 3 things at KU:  go to class, play ball, and chase girls.  Doc told Otto that he could do 2 of those things very well.  But not all 3.  And Otto was there to go to class and play ball.  Message was received.

Today, a very familiar banner hangs in Allen Fieldhouse advising all visitors to “Pay Heed All Who Enter – Beware of The Phog”.  This banner was first unfurled in Allen Fieldhouse in February 1988 when KU hosted Duke University.  It proved to be popular that day, so the creators brought it back for the Senior Night game against Oklahoma State a couple of weeks later.  Somewhere in there, Doc Allen’s granddaughter saw this banner and demanded of the KU Athletic Department that this banner be made a permanent fixture.  If you want the full story of the banner, the creator of the banner tells it much better than me (http://www.rockchalk.com/john/john/banner.html).  The original was replaced sometime in the late 1990’s (it had grown quite old and was falling apart).

Unfortunate Incident

Doc Allen was also at the center of one of the most embarrassing and unfortunate incidents in KU history.  After Allen’s successor, Dick Harp, retired in 1964, a banquet was held in his honor and Dr. Allen was invited to make some remarks.  Well, the 77-year-old Doc got up and told the audience that he thought Ralph Miller (one of Allen’s former players at KU, and a Hall of Fame Coach) should have succeeded him at KU.  He may have been trying to say that he thought Miller (coaching at Wichita State at the time – he would lead the Shockers to the 1965 Final Four) should have succeeded Harp.  Instead, Harp’s assistant, Ted Owens, was promoted in 1964 and would coach the Jayhawks through the 1983 season.  Harp never commented on the incident and remained the epitome of a first class gentleman throughout.

Postscript

Statue of Phog Allen Outside Allen Fieldhouse
 

Doc Allen was credited with being the father of basketball coaching.  When he sought out Dr. Naismith’s advice on being a coach (way back when he was a student at KU), Naismith told him, “Forrest, you don’t coach basketball, you just play it”.  After watching Allen’s KU teams for many years, Naismith became a convert and presented Allen a plaque that said “From the Father of Basketball to the Father of Basketball Coaching.”  Today, this is stuff of KU legend. 

Dr. Allen married the love of his life, Bessie, way back in the early 20^th century and they enjoyed over 60 years of marriage until her death in 1970.  Dr. Allen was also inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959, and a Charter Inductee into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1961.  He is also a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  He also served as a President of the Lawrence Country Club and was a long-time Sunday School teacher.  Truly an extraordinary life.

Quantrill's Raid on Lawrence and the Rise of the Jayhawks

One hundred fifty years ago yesterday (August 21, 1863), William Quantrill and "Bloody" Bill Anderson led their Missouri Bushwhackers (or Ruffians) on a raid of Lawrence, Kansas, which to this day remains one of the most defining events of this region.  At dawn that morning, the Missourians swooped down into town from Mount Oread (pronounced OR ee ad), murdered 183 boys and men (they killed no women or children), robbed the banks and taverns, and left the town in flames then beat a hasty retreat back to Missouri.  All this was done by 9am. 

 

During the Civil War, Lawrence was known as the base of operations for a group of anti-slavery guerillas known as Jayhawkers.  The Jayhawkers instigated some of the fiercest fighting along the Kansas-Missouri border, most notably the burning of the town of Osceola, Missouri.  The Jayhawkers were notably led by Senator Charles Lane, who was very vocal in his anti-slavery sentiments.  It was Lane who ordered relatives of "Bloody" Bill Anderson to be jailed in 1863.  On August 14, 1863, the jail in Kansas City, Missouri that housed three of Anderson's relatives collapsed, killing one of his sisters and permanently paralyzing another.  Many believe this is what led the raid on Lawrence.  There was no doubt that Senator Lane was the primary target of the Missouri raiders.  Lane escaped, wearing his nightshirt, into the cornfields that surrounded Lawrence at the time.  As a result of the raid on Lawrence, General Ewing issued an edict ordering a depopulation of three and a half counties in Missouri, along the Kansas border.  Once the citizens had been removed from their homes, Union troops came through and torched their houses and cornfields and shot the livestock. 

 

The legacy that came through this raid, and the general fighting along the Kansas-Missouri border remains very much a part of the landscape today, particularly in Kansas City.  People in Missouri still regard Quantrill as a hero while those in Kansas still regard him as nothing more than a bloodthirsty murderer.  As the saying goes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.  Anderson was ultimately killed a year later while Quantrill died in June 1865 in Kentucky.  Even former Missouri Tiger basketball coach Norm Stewart once quipped that Quantrill "did good work" in Lawrence.  Three years after this raid, a small college was founded on Mount Oread in Lawrence, which we now know as the University of Kansas.  Appropriately enough, they took on the nickname, "Jayhawks".