One of the basics of this business is that names make news. Kansas basketball hasn’t lacked prominent personalities for a long time. That and loads of victories spawned productive attention and support.

Jayhawk football, however, struggled in recent times to project space-grabbers who draw fans and stir imagination. That changed big-time in 2005 when the awesome KU defense featured a fearsome linebacking corps that mandated sufficient help from the offense. Trouble was, there was only modest preseason indication KU might finish 7-5 by upsetting Nebraska, beating Missouri a third straight time and winning a bowl game.

Yet such progress set the stage for even more triumphant happenings in 2006. Already there are “names” to make news and get people antsy and eager. In Kerry Meier, coach Mark Mangino may finally have found the triggerman they’ve needed to challenge for a Big 12 North title. No doubt Jon Cornish is a running back on a par with the best in the league.

Receivers? Brian Murph could be nifty, and he has some promising support. Cornerback Aqib Talib consistently is touted as a NFL prospect. The defense must rebuild quickly to compensate for the loss of so many ’05 stars, but coaches seem confident the restrictioneers will spring some surprises, that the offense will be formidable and that special teams will be anything but shabby.

So people are talking football and dreaming of feats such as defeating Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado and maybe even Nebraska in the same season. When the erratic basketball team took another first-round nosedive in NCAA Tournament play, Crimson and Blue devotees were desperate for a lifeboat.

Suddenly, people realized there was some football to dream about. While Kerry Meier, Jon Cornish and Aqib Talib still are a few rungs on the ladder below the likes of John Hadl, Bobby Douglass, Gale Sayers, John Riggins, John Zook and Nolan Cromwell, they have the potential to make good things happen. Such names make news.

And they have people talking and thinking about football rather than focusing too much on how basketball can win more Big 12 titles and at least reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen after those ’05 and ’06 floppolas.

Just imagine the delight if KU should emerge from the 2006-07 athletic year as a prominent entity in basketball AND football.

Back to those three straight KU football victories over Missouri and how participants savor such achievements through the years.

Heard recently from ex-lineman George Remsberg, who suffered through that 0-10 agony of 1954 but capped his career in a 13-7 win over Mizzou in ’55. Now a Californian, George got back for last fall’s triumph over the Tigers and said of the ’55 game: “That win made the rest of my time at KU worthwhile. I played the full 60 minutes, and I doubt I was the only one who did. … What an amazing feeling. Completely exhausted and totally exhilarated. I’ll not forget that day. After years of a never-ending and humiliating uphill fight, we closed out winners.”

You think guys don’t treasure experiences like that? So many have played on losing KU teams but were anything but losers in their dedication to do their best, keep their heads up and stick it out, thick or thin. Who couldn’t be proud of that?