Stadium upgrades continue

Kansas University completed a two-year, $26 million renovation of Memorial Stadium in 1999, and a new AstroPlay field was installed in 2000.

Football coach Mark Mangino says KU can’t stop there.

The second-year coach has said he would like to move KU’s football offices to Memorial Stadium in a privately funded, multi-million dollar expansion project.

He indicated Thursday on his weekly radio show that his long-term plans for the stadium were even bigger than previously reported.

“A lot of schools invested big money in facilities,” Mangino said of his Big 12 Conference rivals. “Here at KU we have not, and we have to do that. KU football is a game, but it’s still a business. Any businessman will tell you that you have to spend money to make money. We have to spend money in the short term to upgrade our facility.”

New athletic director Lew Perkins — who spearheaded the effort to build a new stadium when he was AD at Connecticut — supports Mangino’s vision for the stadium.

“He will raise the money to help KU football get where it needs to be in terms of facilities, recourses and winning,” said Mangino, whose team opens the season at 6 p.m. Saturday with a home game against Northwestern.

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Rained out: Thursday’s rain and lightning forced the Jayhawks to move their practice indoors to Anschutz Pavilion.

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Ansel on watch list: KU punter Curtis Ansel has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. Ansel, a senior from Lakin, is one of 32 punters named to the list as potential candidates for the top collegiate punter of the year.

Ansel was one of 10 semifinalists for the award last season when he set the Big 12 record for longest punt (83 yards) and averaged a career-high 42.2 yards per punt.

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KU recruit hurt: Silver Lake High offensive lineman Scott Haverkamp injured his shoulder in practice Wednesday and sat out Thursday’s workout. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound all-state selection — who made an oral commitment to KU this summer — originally hurt his right shoulder at KU’s camp last month and re-injured it Wednesday.

Silver Lake coach C.J. Hamilton said it had not been determined how long Haverkamp would be sidelined. The lineman was scheduled to see a doctor today.