From the Lawrence Journal-World for Oct. 16, 1972:

“KU Band Struck With Fruit at KSU,” read the shocking headline in this morning’s Journal-World. According to the article, several members of the Kansas University marching band had suffered injuries to themselves as well as to their equipment and uniforms while being harassed during the KU-K State game this past weekend. According to Bob Foster, director of KU bands, as the band was forming a sunflower during the pregame show, a girl carrying a flag had been hit in the face with an orange. Later, a KU band member in the stands had also been hit in the face with an orange which had smashed his glasses, injuring his eye and cutting his face. Foster said that the harassment had continued throughout the game and apparently had come from a large group sitting in the K-State student section. In addition to oranges, band members had been hit by apples, nuts, plums, and rolls of paper. Uniforms were splattered and some of the instruments had dents “as big as your fist,” Foster reported. “It wasn’t safe playing. They couldn’t duck and play at the same time.” As the band had marched out of the stands, people began ripping off parts of the band members’ uniforms and grabbing their hats. Foster said that when he had surveyed the four buses of students, he found that almost 70 had been directly hit by objects. Foster said that he had no estimate on the damages yet and that he was not sure who would pay for them as the band had already been facing a budget crisis.