To the victor went the spoils, and among the perks of that memorable April of 16 years ago was an opportunity to shake the mitt of the president of the United States.

A week after their stirring climb to the 1988 NCAA championship, Kansas University’s men’s basketball team flew to Washington, D.C., for an audience with President Ronald Reagan at the White House.

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As they cooled their heels, the players’ bravado grew proportionately.

“We were standing underneath the colonnade before we went into the Rose Garden,” recalled Bob Frederick, KU’s athletic director at the time, “and they were talking about all the big stuff they were going to say to him.”

Then Reagan strode into the Rose Garden as the public address system intoned: “Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.”

“All of a sudden everybody snapped to,” Frederick said. “Then you realize you’re about to meet the president, and all those things you had in your mind — me included — disappeared.”

So what did Frederick say as he shook hands with President Reagan?

“I have no idea,” Frederick said. “I can’t remember.”

Neither can Kevin Pritchard, a sophomore starting guard on that serendipitous squad.

“I can remember standing behind him when he gave his speech,” said Pritchard, now an NBA scout, “and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m standing at the White House next to the President.’ I was in awe, being only 19 years old.”

President Ronald Reagan speaks as the 1988 Kansas University men's basketball team is introduced at the White House a week after winning the NCAA championship. The Jayhawks were 'in awe' of Reagan, who died Saturday at 93. At far right is Danny Manning; second from right is coach Larry Brown.

Vance remembers

Doug Vance, who was KU’s sports information director during that momentous championship season, remembered that Reagan, who died Saturday at 93, “had a great smile, but not a real strong handshake.”

Frederick, too, remembered the “great smile.”

Gene Budig was KU’s chancellor and also a member of the official party. Budig had met Reagan before, so he was less in awe than he was inclined to observe how the President reacted to the occasion.

“He was a President who obviously liked young people,” said Budig, now a scholar in residence for the College Board in New York. “He asked the players questions and engaged them in responses.”

Budig also noticed Reagan seemed to be having difficulty hearing some of the players’ questions or responses, and often asked them to repeat what they had said.

“He mingled freely and was very engaging,” Budig said. “He was in no rush to get back to his office. I recall he was very animated that day.”

The Jayhawks were the toast of the country that April — a come-from-nowhere Cinderella team dubbed “Danny and the Miracles” because 6-foot-10 senior center Danny Manning was such a driving force in KU’s unexpected surge to the top.

Manning popular

Manning, an All-American and winner of the ’88 Wooden Award, was so popular that members of Louisiana Tech’s NCAA champion women’s team, also on hand for the postseason function, wanted to meet the Jayhawks’ superstar.

As both teams were waiting to be called to the Rose Garden, Vance recalled with a chuckle something Marvin Mattox, a football player who had joined the basketball team late in the season, hollered.

According to Vance, Mattox shouted: “Hey, girls. That’s Danny, but over here are the Miracles.”

Following the brief meeting with the President, KU coach Larry Brown decided he wanted a team picture taken in front of the White House because such a photo could prove invaluable in recruiting.

“We walked along the sidewalk, then we stepped up on the grass to have our picture taken,” Frederick related, “and all of a sudden a Secret Service guy said, ‘Where are you going?'”

Told the purpose of the gathering, the Secret Service agent advised them to go ahead, but to do it quickly.

“He said, ‘If Mrs. Reagan sees you, she’ll be really upset,'” Frederick said, “so we hustled and got the picture and got out of there.”

Two versions

Today, Frederick has two versions of that photo — one with him, Vance, Budig and faculty representative Del Brinkman included, and one with the four administrators airbrushed out.

“I don’t know whose decision that was,” Frederick said.

Vance does. He says Brown made the call.

“Larry didn’t want anybody but the players, coaches and managers in the picture,” said Vance, who July 1 will become executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Parks Assn. “I still get a kick out of that story.”

The irony is that the team picture taken in front of the White House became moot less than two months later when Brown heard the siren call of the NBA and bolted to the San Antonio Spurs. Brown now is coaching the Detroit Pistons, who are in the NBA Finals and within three wins of providing Brown with his first pro championship.

Indelible moment

Frederick’s most enduring memory of the occasion, however, does not involve either the White House or the President. It concerns a national TV correspondent known for his tenacity.

“I’ve never forget Sam Donaldson yelling at Reagan after the ceremony trying to get him to answer a question that I think was about Afghanistan,” Frederick said. “I thought that was rude, but I guess that’s the way he was. Anyway, everybody was talking about that afterward.”