Kansas athletics officials have scheduled a free public event to celebrate the football team’s Orange Bowl victory.

The celebration is set for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Allen Fieldhouse, said Jim Marchiony, a KU associate athletic director.

The event is the football awards presentation.

Marchiony said the department still was working out the details but added that the venue would allow thousands of fans to celebrate the team’s achievements.

“We wanted to make sure that as many people as possible could attend,” he said.

The Jayhawks finished at 12-1 and defeated Virginia Tech 24-21 on Jan. 3 in Miami.

“Our coaches and players worked extremely hard this season, and together we accomplished many great things,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “Our fans were also terrific throughout the year, and we wanted to have a celebration in a venue that could hold as many of those fans as possible. We’re all looking forward to a great evening.”

Marchiony said the cold weather influenced trying to plan a parade.

“It’s wintertime. Having it indoors in the winter seemed to make a whole lot more sense,” he said.

The KU men’s basketball team plays Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. that day in Stillwater, Okla.