KU fans leave nothing to chance
Today, as people across Lawrence put on their green, drink a Guinness and pay tribute to the luck of the Irish, some Kansas University fans will be focusing on the luck of the Jayhawk.
Most fans know about forward Keith Langford’s good-luck charm of changing shoes at halftime when the game isn’t going well.
But they probably don’t know about Jan Kozma’s good-luck habit, which is simpler and which might be helping the Jayhawks as much as the wardrobe change.
Kozma, a professor of Italian at KU, normally sits back in her favorite chair to watch KU basketball games. When the Jayhawks need an extra spark, she simply leans forward in her chair.
“When they’re doing really well,” she said, “that’s all because of me. And it doesn’t cost them a penny.”
When it comes to stopping the opponents’ hot streak, she had another approach: singing “Hail to the Victors,” the fight song of her alma mater, the University of Michigan.
“I don’t use that one very often,” she said. “Only in emergencies.”
Adrienne Angotti, a KU fan who lives in Kansas City, Mo., thinks the Jayhawks’ good luck may be due to a whole host of habits her family has.
For starters: no phone calls during a game.
Lawrence High seniors Katie Robertson, left, and Molly Patterson make good luck signs as they wait for the KU basketball team to board the team bus for Oklahoma City for the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks play Bucknell on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
“We just watch the phone ring,” she said. “I won’t answer it. Period.”
And if the Jayhawks start playing well, she’ll hold the exact position she’s sitting in until the run is over. That sometimes leads to some discomfort.
“There’s times when I have to go to the bathroom so freakin’ bad,” she said. “As soon as the game’s over, I’m hitting the bathroom.”
As for her boyfriend, a University of Missouri fan, he’s not so sure the habits are helping KU win.
“He says we’re just nuts,” she said. “It’s just one of those things he’ll have to live with.”
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