2015-16 K CLUB REVIEW By The Book . A look at how the Jayhawk experience has touched so many lives. 2015-16 IN THIS ISSUE K Club Executive Board of Directors Jeff Long 2 ATHLETICS DIRECTOR DR. SHEAHON ZENGER President [email protected] (816) 500-2339 3 K CLUB LEADERSHIP Liz Dobbins 4 ABOUT K CLUB, BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP Vice President [email protected] 5 2016-17 K CLUB BOARD DIRECTORY (785) 312-0314 6 K CLUB BOARD STRUCTURE Bob Lockwood Immediate Past President 7 SAVE THE DATE [email protected] (785) 840-8002 8 NATIONAL LETTERWINNERS ASSOCIATION David Johnston Special Assistant to President 9 PRESERVING HISTORY [email protected] 10 K CLUB LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD (785) 979-6167 11 DEBRUCE CENTER, BOOTH HALL OF ATHLETICS 12 SHARING SUCCESS 13 HALL OF FAME Kansas Athletics Staff 14 TRADITIONS NIGHT Candace Dunback 15 SUPPORTING CURRENT STUDENT-ATHLETES Senior Director of K Club and Traditions JAYHAWK SENIOR CELEBRATION [email protected] 16 (785) 864-7446 18 WILLIAMS EDUCATION FUND 19 COMPLIANCE “ASK BEFORE YOU ACT” Dino Bell 20 ROCK CHALK CHOICE AWARDS Director of K Club Outreach 21 KU LEADS AND CAREER CONNECTIONS [email protected] 22 GAME TICKETS (785) 864-7312 23 K CLUB CONNECTS JAYHAWKS Tayler Hammersmith K Club Intern 24 KCLUB FIRST GAME TAILGATE AND SPRING GAME TAILGATE Mailing Address: 25 K CLUB WEEKEND Kansas Athletics- K Club 26 ONCE A JAYHAWK 2460C Wagnon Student-Athlete Building 27 THE POWER OF SPORT 1651 Naismith Drive 28 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM & SPORT REUNIONS Lawrence, KS 66045-4069 30 LOVED ONES LOST Stay Connected 31 K CLUB MEMBERSHIP FORM Website: KUAthletics.com/kclub Facebook: /KansasKClub Twitter: @KansasKClub LinkedIn: University of Kansas Athletics Alumni Network Email: [email protected] CREDITS: Editor: Candace Dunback / Editorial Assistance: Erin Penning, Kansas Athletics Communications Office, K Club Executive Board and Student-Athlete Development / Photography: Jeff Jacobsen and Student-Athlete Development Staff Additional/ Photography: Booth Family Hall of Athletics Archives / Layout and Design: Jackie Berra / Printer: Pittcraft Printing 1 Athletics Director Dr. Sheahon Zenger Dr. Zenger and the Jayhawk Nation celebrated John Hadl’s lifelong commitment to the Unversity of Kansas. Dear K Club Members, Thank you for taking an active role in the lives of our highly anticipated event embraces the rich tradition of the K Ring student-athletes. Through your membership as an active while connecting the seniors to generations of Jayhawks. K Club member, you play an integral part in our student- athletes’ success. We appreciate those who make it a Instilling a true appreciation of Kansas traditions helps each priority to attend K Club events, whether it’s the Senior student-athlete understand the responsibility of wearing a Kansas Celebration, a K Club tailgate, a reunion or Alumni uniform and accepting the honor it brings. Through K Club and weekend. Your time and participation makes a difference student-athlete development programs, we count on you to help and we thank you. preserve tradition, support our current student-athletes and stay connected to your Jayhawk roots. K Club performs an instrumental role in continuing the legacy and traditions of the University of Kansas with our Once a Jayhawk… Always a Jayhawk. student-athletes – specifically with the Jayhawks After Competition (JAC) and the Jayhawk Senior Celebration. Rock Chalk! For those new to K Club, JAC is a program developed for seniors wherein K Club members facilitate seminars on topics ranging from athletic identity to career networking. Sheahon Zenger The Jayhawk Senior Celebration is designed so all senior Director of Athletics student-athletes receive their K Ring from a K Club representative who participated in their sport. This annual, 2 SPRING 2016 K CLUB REVIEW K Club Leadership Dr. Sheahon Zenger and K Club Immediate Past President, Jeff Long K Club President, Liz Dobbins, and Allison Long Dear K Club Members, Dear K Club Members, It has been an honor to serve this organization the last two It is an honor and privilege to take the next step from Vice President to years. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity. I wish more President of K Club. Jeff Long has driven our organization to the next level progress could have been made, but I am truly excited about of excellence with the continued involvement of our subcommittees. the direction we are headed, and confident that Liz Dobbins, K Club now has three primary operating subcommittees, which are K Club’s next president beginning July 1, will continue down Preserving History and Traditions, Supporting Current Student-Athletes, the path toward being the best letter winners association in and Connecting Jayhawks. America. This coming year K Club will continue to work on several projects. Our new structure encourages greater participation by our board and the membership, so I encourage you to become One of the projects impacting student-athletes is developing a plan for more involved as your life allows. We have found that as the endowing a few traditions, spearheaded by the Support subcommittee. years from competition multiply, we naturally gravitate more to The Preserve subcommittee will concentrate on securing merchandise our roots. At the same time this is occurring for many of us, our for our membership and continuing dialogue with Kansas Athletics to time commitments lessen. This is the perfect time to dive into K help create a letter jacket ceremony. The Connect subcommittee will Club, to reconnect with your teammates, and regularly venture continue to reach out to our K Club-eligible individuals and involve them back to campus and feel right at home. in a variety of ways. Your board will continue to look at ways to support our current In the K Club Board meeting minutes from 1947, Otto Schnellbacher student athletes, provide fun and meaningful events for you to started the meeting with the same goals as we are trying to keep attend, and campaign for places for our membership to gather instilled today: at home and away competitions. The world’s most recognizable mascot ought to have the most noticeable support. “To encourage cooperation and feeling of brotherhood and fellowship among its members.” Rock Chalk! I look forward to meeting and hearing from you in the future. Rock Chalk! Jeff Long Immediate Past President, K Club Board of Directors Liz Dobbins President, K Club Board of Directors 3 About K Club K Club’s mission is to help preserve the history and traditions of Kansas Athletics, support current student-athletes, and connect former participants, coaches, student athletic trainers and managers of varsity sports at the University of Kansas. K Club began when the first baseball letter was awarded in 1877. The faces of Benefits Include: varsity athletics at the University of Kansas have changed through the years, • Earn active status in the Williams Education Fund but the “K” each of them wore proudly on their chest binds them forever. There and start earning Priority Points (10 pts for initial are currently over 7,000 former KU coaches, athletes, managers and student membership, 1 pt for renewed membership) athletic trainers worldwide representing 24 sports. • Receive K Club publications • Ability to purchase exclusive K Club merchandise Kansas Athletics and K Club are extremely proud of our tradition and we thank • Special seating option in section 22 for KU football those who helped build the foundation that supports our current student- season tickets and discounted season tickets for athletes. You can continue to contribute to the legacy by becoming and Olympic sports season tickets remaining an active member of K Club. Together we can successfully bridge the • Priority in purchasing Kansas football past and present by welcoming each class of Jayhawks into our family. single-game tickets • Assistance with K Ring repair and letter jacket, K Club strives to gain a diverse membership base across all sports and all watch or blanket replacement generations of Jayhawks. Help K Club better represent your sport and remain • Career and social networking a leader among peer letter winner associations across the nation by becoming a member today! • Exclusive invitations to K Club activities: • First Game Football Tailgate on the Hill Membership Dues Support: • K Club Weekend (Homecoming Weekend) • K Ring Letter Award for Senior Student-Athletes • Spring Football Game Tailgate • Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame Display and Induction Ceremony • Career Development Night • K Club Events and Sport Reunions • Jayhawks After College “I’m going to miss walking around campus hearing, ‘Rock Chalk!’ I’m going to miss the tough camps and workouts with my teammates. I’m going to miss the feeling of accomplishing things with this amazing team. I’m going to miss having KANSAS stitched across my chest.” PERRY ELLIS MEN’S BASKETBALL 4 SPRING 2016 K CLUB REVIEW 2016-17 K Club Board Directory The K Club Board of Directors is composed of former student-athletes from the University of Kansas. The Board strives to represent all varsity sports that have ever been sponsored by Kansas Athletics and consists of no more than 25 members at one time. The group meets quarterly to discuss topics such as Hall of Fame inductions, membership, K Club functions, sport reunions, and ways to support the current student-athletes. Please contact any members of the Board with comments, suggestions or to simply inquire how YOU can help celebrate our Jayhawk legacy. We are here to serve you, K Club and the University of Kansas. Liz Dobbins Brad Wells Willie Amison* K Club President Swimming and Diving Football/Track and Field Golf/Gymnastics [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Brian Cooper Ali Brox* A SPECIAL THANK YOU Eric Patterson Gymnastics Rowing/Basketball Vice President [email protected] [email protected] Football/Track and Field K Club would like to thank those members [email protected] Jeff Hawkins Jill Dorsey-Hall* rotating off the Board this year.