To the editor:

Don Fambrough came to Lawrence with his bride, Del, just after serving in World War II. He was captain of the football team and was All Big Six while leading the Jayhawks to a trip to the Orange Bowl. Fam turned down offers to play in the NFL so he could pursue coaching at his alma mater.

For the next 23 years, he was an assistant coach under three coaches before getting the head job at Kansas in 1971. Fam took the Jayhawks to two bowl games and was twice voted Big Eight Coach of the Year. He turned down numerous job offers from other major schools, stating that he already had his dream job. He was one of KU’s greatest recruiters simply by selling high school kids on what he truly believed: that KU was the best place to be. He was fired twice by KU but remained loyal, stating how lucky he was to have coached at the place he had loved for so long.

In the 27 years since Fam coached at KU, he has spoken to hundreds of community groups without ever asking for compensation. Fam’s fire and brimstone talk on the KU-MU game has fired up thousands of KU players and Lawrence citizens. He is loved by all who have known him for his passion and undying loyalty for KU.

The push to have the two-block stretch of Missouri Street named in his honor is not because he was the greatest coach or player. It’s about a man who has embodied the spirit of the Jayhawk, has given us all he had for over 60 years and has been a great role model to young men.

David Lawrence,
Lawrence