Although Kansas University’s football team had been perceived as being decimated by the recent grades-related loss of two senior tailbacks, the Jayhawks posted a thrilling 33-27 win in their season opener against Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. Senior quarterback Mike Norseth completed 21 of 29 passes for 318 yards with no interceptions.

Lawrence teachers were gearing up for the start of school. That meant, among other things, that Stan Roth was busy finishing up some repair work on his turtle cages so his biology specimens wouldn’t escape into the halls of Lawrence High School. Other teachers reported that they were “nearly ready” for the influx of students.

The Big Three auto makers, trying to make room for their new 1986 cars, were enticing car buyers with 7.5 to 7.7 percent financing on 1985 models, and Lawrence car dealers were reporting busy days with potential buyers flooding their car lots.