Bill Cosby may join thousands of Kansas University alumni heading to campus for homecoming this October.

KU officials confirmed Monday they are planning to invite the comedian to perform during homecoming week, Oct. 2-9. They’re hoping to know within a week whether he’ll accept the invitation.

Richard Johnson, dean of students, said KU’s fall homecoming once regularly brought in entertainers such as Sonny and Cher, B.B. King and Bob Hope.

“We want to bring back the tradition of bringing in some of the big-name entertainers,” Johnson said.

Jeff Dunlap, student body vice-president, said students planning the event had been told in preliminary discussions that Cosby was free the evening of Oct. 7 for a performance at Allen Fieldhouse.

“The people I’ve talked to are pretty excited,” Dunlap said. “He’s a known celebrity who appeals to a lot of generations.”

Dunlap said Cosby’s honorarium would be about $115,000. He said about $50,000 already has been raised from private sources and from the university’s contract with Coca-Cola. Student Senate on Wednesday is to vote on contributing $5,000 to the event.

The remainder of the money would come from ticket sales.

Dunlap said other comedians considered for the event were Dave Chappelle, star of Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show,” and Ray Romano, star of CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Each had a similar honorarium, Dunlap said.

Cosby, 67, has starred in TV shows such as “I Spy,” “The Cosby Show” and “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”

He came to KU in 1968 for two shows on the night of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The first show went as planned but the second show — which came after news King had been killed — was cut short.

Cosby has gained attention in recent months not for his comedy but for comments he has made about black parents. He has chastised parents for, among other things, spending more money on shoes than education.

Dunlap said he thought the recent comments would make Cosby an even bigger draw.

“We hadn’t heard much about him in recent years,” Dunlap said. “Now he’s back with a vengeance.”