Stadium watch party draws 1,500
Memorial Stadium was a fitting locale Saturday for more than 1,500 Jayhawk fans to watch KU’s blowout victory over Marquette.
By halftime of the game in New Orleans, the score on the stadium’s color videoboard more closely resembled a football final than a Final Four basketball contest — 59-30.
“We love this,” said Rita Winter, a professional Lawrence clown who was sporting spectacular orange hair.
Winter and fellow jester Amanda Griffith — pink hair, dynamic socks and rosy cheeks — helped put a smile on the faces of Jayhawk loyalists at the outdoor stadium party. Griffith even kicked up her heels with the cheerleaders.
Some fans weren’t dressed properly for temperatures in the 40s, but their passion for the Jayhawks was scalding.
“I can’t feel my legs,” said a teeth-chattering Brent Lawson, a junior at Eudora High School who wore shorts and sandals to the stadium. “This is awesome.”
Emily Hoy, 9, Grace Hoy, 6, and Tiffany Alva, 9, all of Lawrence, struggled to defeat the cold during a dominating 94-61 KU victory that earned the Jayhawks a spot in Monday night’s NCAA Tournament championship game.
“We run around to keep warm,” said Emily, decorated in a Jayhawk balloon hat and colorful Mardi Gras beads.
Her dad, Scott Hay, harbors warm memories of the last time Kansas University won a national title. He was a student at KU when Danny Manning and the Miracles defeated Oklahoma in 1988.
“I was with a group of friends in a little Nissan pickup,” he said. “We drove up and down hills on campus. It was quite a memory.”
Some folks at the stadium may have trouble remembering Saturday evening.
| Fans can head to Memorial Stadium again Monday to cheer on the Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA championship game.The stadium’s videoboard will show the CBS television broadcast from New Orleans, which is scheduled to start at 8:21 p.m.South gates of the stadium will open at 7 p.m.Admission and parking are free. |
Braxton Shupe, 2, of Oskaloosa, was cradled in the arms of his mom, Stephanie, high in the bleachers. He was as interested in the sounds of the pep band as the swishing of a ball through the net in the Big Easy.
“I like the band,” Braxton said.
Another youngster, Killian Hayes, of Topeka, found comfort with her mom, Lynette, at a concession stand under the seats.
“She might not remember the game, but she’ll remember seeing Baby Jay,” Lynette Hayes said.
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Fans glued to television during Jayhawks game