This is from the editorial page of yesterday's Manhattan Mercury. Basketball used to be like football is today v. Ku. But K-State through all its resources toward the pigskin with Bill Snyder and basketball for whatever reason nosedived.
During my growing-up years, going to all those games, listening to Dev Nelson on the radio when the ‘Cats were in Lawrence, K-State went 21-10 against KU. We won more than twice as often as they did.
That’s just the way it was ... all the evidence led me to this basic mindset: We were going to beat KU. That’s what was supposed to happen. When it came down to crunch time, we would find a way to beat them. If they managed to steal one, it felt like a violation.
That’s why it still does, the last 70 games notwithstanding.
Those were the Jack Hartman days, the days of Lonnie Kruger, Chuckie Williams, Mike Evans, Curtis Redding, Ronaldo Blackman, Tim Jankovich, Ed Nealy and Tyrone Adams. Those guys have their jerseys in the rafters. KU had…oh, I dunno, Darnell Valentine or something. Paul Mokeski. I don’t know and I don’t care.
It felt like winning was K-State’s birthright. Ahearn was packed, game after game, year after year. Students camped out for tickets. KU choked. We didn’t.