Couple of competent football observers I know noted the intensity of focus for the Kansas University players as they toiled in their windup battle the past spring. They loved it; it seemed the Jayhawks were serious about what they doing, really cared.

“There wasn’t any trophy at stake, but those kids were into it,” one fellow remarked. “There was no staring off into the stands, or space.”

“I remember looking down on the field during games the past few seasons and seeing guys standing around, visiting, dawdling and jawing,” said another fan. “I swear, one time I think I saw a kid in uniform talking on a cell phone! Maybe it was some kind of head piece, but from my view it looked like a cell.”

You can bet if that happened with coach Mark Mangino in charge, the “phoney” might be rushed to surgery for removal of a headpiece from a portion of the anatomy where the sun doesn’t shine.

Mangino is taking his new assignment with refreshing seriousness; he’s demanding that his assistants and athletes to do the same. Success before public relations window-dressing, please.

The departed Terry Allen was a fine fellow, liked by many. One big problem was that he wanted everyone to be happy. To do that, you tend to be lax and tolerant. In football, that leads to disaster.

Mangino has made it clear he has no intention of being everybody’s buddy, a friendly uncle or a soft touch for public appearances. He’s stalking a stern line, which is precisely what this 2002 group must do if it’s to come anywhere near a 6-6 record. Man, an upset in that Iowa State opener would accomplish so much!

Allen tried to please everybody, attending every meeting and social gathering he could, and busting a gut to get maximum outreach. When losses clearly outnumber wins, that old, cuddly puppy dog won’t hunt. People try to be courteous, but enthusiasm wanes with a rising toll of defeats. Fans get sullen, then mutinous.

Terry’s winning personality was clearly more successful in the less competitive Northern Iowa atmosphere. As an assistant at Iowa State, he’s bound to be a hit with the players. He just wasn’t hard-nosed enough to be a success at KU. Head coaches have to snarl and spank; assistants can smile and nurture.

Nobody ever tried harder than Bob Valesente to weave himself into the community fabric as the KU coach. He religiously attended academic, economic, social and chamber of commerce functions. It was a little bit like that guy in the Ogden Nash poem . . . “He invested, he deposited, he voted every fall, but every time he made a cent the bastards took it all.” You can try to do all the right social things but in football, no victory, no jobbee.

Val’s good citizenship didn’t win a single game. He left after the 1987 season with a 4-17-1 record. He didn’t inherit enough good players from the Mike Gottfried tenure and never had enough time to recruit effectively.

There never has been a more dedicated and devoted Jayhawk than Don Fambrough. He wrote the book on outreach and inspirational talks. He deserved a lot better than the 36-49-5 mark for his eight seasons.

A couple times Don trusted his senior players too much and they let him down. Once again, too lenient at the wrong time even though nobody could be more fierce than Fambrough. The timing just wasn’t quite right.

Mangino has made two things abundantly clear: One  He’ll start socializing more after he gets the program in the best shape possible. Meanwhile, don’t call him to speak or jolly. Two  To the players, be good or be gone … my way or the highway … there’s a mission in progress here … accepting failure is not an option!

There apparently have been defections from the squad and there might be more. The reaction is that “if you don’t really want to be here, bye, bye.” Most coaches contend that you strengthen the operation every time somebody leaves who is not committed.

Oklahoma’s Bud Wilkinson often said: “When the other team’s fourth-and-goal at your one-yard line, you don’t want a single kid on that field who is wishing he were somewhere else. That’s the kid who should have left or been cut before you reached that point.”

That’s the message Mangino emphasizes.

The former OU-Kansas State assistant didn’t diddle with Marvelous Mario Kinsey, the self-serving quarterback who played with such flibberty-gibbit flair as a freshman in 2001. Last I heard, Mario was due to perform in basketball for some Boys Town in Texas, I think Sam Houston State. Even Father Flanagan might not be able to keep him kosher, however.

As good an athlete as Mario is, he might go hog-wild at a lower level of competition. But KU is better off without the distractions he created both on and off the field and court. Basketball coach Roy Williams sensed early on that Kinsey could be increasing trouble and wisely announced the kid would turn in his suit and concentrate on studies.

Allen, desperate for a bell-cow, got hypnotized by Mario’s undisciplined tomfoolery last year and paid dearly, like with his job. He kept expecting Kinsey to deliver and didn’t have the heart to do what Mangino did.

Yep, Mangino has drawn clear lines in the sand, season ticket sales are up and folks are actually talking football and asking “how’ll we do?” What a boost it’d be to grab that Iowa State opener.