To the editor:

As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now the rest of the story.”

When Sheahon Zenger took the KU athletic director job, it was right after the infamous ticket scandal. Donor confidence and support were at an all-time low. In addition, Zenger was almost immediately thrust into conference realignment, and with his help the Big 12 is currently third out of the five BCS conferences in revenue producing – ahead of the ACC and Pac 12.

During his tenure, Kansas has won multiple national championships and conference championships, has had many student athletes earn All-American honors and has seen multiple coaches win coach-of-the-year honors at both the national and conference levels.

During his watch, Rock Chalk Park was built. Additionally, the DeBruce Center, home of the original rules of basketball, and a new golf training facility have been added. Finally, total renovations of the locker rooms for football and men’s basketball are soon to be finished, making those facilities competitive on a national level. In excess of $100 million in facility upgrades have been made.

Academically, the Jayhawks have enjoyed record-setting academic graduation rates.

While we wish the football program would look better on the field, when coach David Beaty was hired, we all knew it would take time to resurrect the program. That’s why Zenger gave Beaty a five-year contract.

Zenger has done amazing work during his short tenure at KU. Confidence in the direction of the athletic department is at an all-time high.