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Kansas Jayhawks The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They participate in the NCAA’s Division I and in the Big 12 Conference. Origins of “Jayhawk” The term came to prominence just before the Civil War, in Kansas. In 1861, with the admission of Kansas as a free state, Jayhawker became tantamount with the people of Kansas. The Jayhawk appears in several Kansas cheers, most notably, the “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk” chant in unison before and during games. Basketball Kansas Jayhawks Men’s Basketball The 1922 and 1923 championships predate the current NCAA championship tournament and in 1936, were retroactively awarded by the Helms Foundation. The 1952 and 1988 championships were won in the NCAA tournament. Kansas now has 50 conference titles all time. The Jayhawks have won a record 7 conference titles and a record 5 conference tournaments in the 10 years of the Big 12, and also own the best Big 12 records in both those areas with a 145-31 record in conference play and a 22-6 record in tournament play. From 1990 to 1999 Kansas compiled a 286-60 record, the best win-loss record of any team in the decade. The Jayhawks won 62 consecutive home games at Allen Fieldhouse from 1994 to 1998. The seniors of 1998 went 58-0 at home during their KU careers. Women’s Basketball Kansas first fielded a women’s team during the 1968-1969 season. For thirty-one seasons the women’s team was coached by Marian Washington, who led the team to three Big Eight championships, eleven NCAA Tournament appearances and four AIAW Tournament appearances. Football Kansas Jayhawks Football KU football dates from 1890. The football team has had notable alumni including, John Riggins, John Hadl, Steve Towle, Dana Stubblefield, Bobby Douglass, and Nolan Cromwell. The Jayhawks have appeared twice in the Orange Bowl: 1948 and 1969, and most recently made a bowl appearance in the 2005 Fort Worth Bowl. The team currently plays in Memorial Stadium, the first stadium built on a college campus west of the Mississippi River, which opened in 1921. Mark Mangino has coached the team since 2002. As of November 25, 2006, the program’s overall record is 542-537-58. The Jayhawks have two traditional rivals. KU competes with the University of Missouri Tigers in the longest uninterrupted rivalry in college football west of the Mississippi River. The name of the rivalry has since changed to the “Border Showdown” following the aftermath of 9/11. Each year the winner of the game is awarded a traveling trophy, the Marching Band Drum. In addition, KU has a rivalry with the Kansas State Wildcats called the Sunflower Showdown; when the two teams compete in football, the winner is awarded the Governor’s Cup by the governor of Kansas. Since 1905, Kansas has also played an annual game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This gives Kansas the second- and third-most played college football games in existence. KU is only 22-88-3 all-time against the Cornhuskers, and the Huskers rang up 36 consecutive victories, second longest in NCAA Division I from 1969-2004. That streak came crashing down on November 5, 2005, when Kansas defeated Nebraska 40-15 in Lawrence. The 40 points are the most by the Jayhawks against Nebraska, and the 72 points scored by the Jayhawks combined is the largest consecutive two-year total in the series in 2005 and 2006. Also, on September 30, 2006, in the overtime loss, the 32 points scored was the most by any Jayhawk team in Lincoln since 1899, when KU won 36-20 in only their eighth all-time meeting. For more information about Kansas Jayhawks Tickets OR Cheap Kansas Jayhawks Tickets visit:http://www. ticketluck. com/sports-tickets/Kansas-Jayhawks/index. php  Read more... (653 words, 2 images)

The college basketball is drawing to a close and that means, in the next few months, a champion will take the coveted prize. Sixty-four teams have qualified for consideration, but in the end, only four will remain. Regular venues are sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get Final Four tickets.
Right now, we’re in the middle of the first series of elimination rounds. When the dust settles, the nation will have thirty four contenders. The second round of eliminations will cut that group to sixteen, ushering in the regional finals. Spread over the East, South, West and Midwest regions, these sixteen deserving teams will pair up to see who moves on for another round in the championship fight.
But don’t worry; you won’t see two top teams pitted against each other until the bitter end. The rules of pairings keep it balanced, where the top teams play the bottom ones. The tournament run promises to be action packed, open to all the various upsets the marked this season’s college football conferences. You don’t want to miss a single second, and with online dealers, you can get tickets to see your favorite teams defeat their challengers for a spot in the national championship.
The initial first and second rounds will be limited to venues in Washington, D. C. , California, Colorado, Nebraska, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina and Florida. These games, starting in the middle of March, will give you an idea of what to expect from future matches – whether an underdog can win the day or if the top seeds will finally meet in San Antonio in April.
If your team gets past the first and second rounds, you can catch them in the regional competitions. Four teams per region (the Sweet Sixteen) will battle it out for eight elite spots and the next step on the path to the national championship. You can catch your team in Texas, Michigan, Arizona or North Carolina, and keep an eye on their chances of victory.
Of course, by the end of March, the nation will know who the top two contenders are. In April, you can catch the show down in fitting San Antonio, Texas. Watch every jump shot, free throw and slam dunk from your stadium seats. Television just can’t capture the excitement of watching teams race down the court in the pursuit of a win.
Make this year’s basketball championships a post-season to remember. Final Four tickets put you where the action is, whether that’s court side or regular seats, it’s in the arena. You can’t get closer to the action unless you’re on the team.
Final Four tickets are a treat for any college basketball fan. The excitement and the adrenaline can be yours with a simple visit to an online dealer. They offer tickets that are sold out elsewhere, and include the added convenience of delivery to your door.
To fully enjoy March Madness, why not book your seats in the arena? You’ll be amongst sports fans as eager as you are to see a champion crowned. See who gets to take home the net. And let’s be honest, it’ll be more competition than the upcoming football national title.  Read more... (600 words, 2 images)

NCAA Basketball tickets to see UNC play just got more valuable as North Carolina underclassmen Tywon Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will all be returning to school next season after testing the waters of the NBA Draft. It appeared Lawson was looking for a promise in the Top 20 picks and didn’t receive one while Ellington and Green didn’t receive enough of an indication that they would be drafted at all. While this puts these kids’ NBA dreams on hold for another year, it does wonders for UNC’s title hopes this season. The trio rejoins National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough and likely makes the Tar Heels the preseason number one.
I don’t see a way the Tar Heels won’t be preseason favorites to win it all. I’m sure coach Roy Williams couldn’t be happier. UNC has returned to their rightful spot as an ACC power since Williams’ 2004 return to his alma mater. The Heels won the title in 2005 with an NBA prospect-filled roster that included Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants and Sean May. UNC will open this season with the best starting lineup and the deepest bench in the nation.
As far the three returning players are concerned, I think they’re all future NBA guys. Lawson projects to be the best pro of the group and is main guy who will help UNC sell NCAA Basketball tickets this season. There are few players faster than Lawson on the court from end to end. He’s a pure point guard with good floor vision and a solid jump shot and plays tenacious defense. He’s a likely first-rounder next year and a potential lottery pick if he really tears it up this season. I think Lawson has the ability to be a similar NBA player to UNC alum Ray Felton, but not quite as good. He’s undersized for the position in the NBA and could struggle getting to the rim in the pros.
Ellington is a shooter, pure and simple. His silky smooth jump shot will help him find a niche in the NBA but he’s not a future all star. There is a chance he plays himself into the first round of the 2009 Draft, but it’s more probable that he ends up being a second round pick. His athleticism doesn’t blow anyone away and he’s undersized for the two guard position at 6-4. If he can find a team where he can make a living out of hitting open shots then he could have a solid NBA career, but if he’s asked to create his own shot he’s going to struggle on the next level.
Green is a tougher prospect to project. He really came on strong in his junior year and showed NBA scouts some things they look for in an NBA prospect. He’s big enough and athletic enough to play the two in the pros and has a nice outside jumper. He’s also a really good defender. He doesn’t finish at the rim very well and doesn’t seem to have much ability to take over games even on the collegiate level. He could be a solid role player in the mold of a poor man’s Shane Battier, but it’s too hard to project at this point.
Regardless of their NBA careers, the return of these three players to the collegiate ranks is sure to help sell NCAA Basketball tickets wherever they play.  Read more... (626 words)

Professional hockey and college hockey have a solid fan base, and many students try out during college hockey recruiting. . Perhaps ice hockey is the most popular form of the game, and college hockey teams usually play on an ice surface. Ice hockey, as mentioned, is played in an arena with a large flat area of ice, using a vulcanized rubber disc called a puck. Players wear ice skates specifically designed for the game, and it is played extensively in North America, Europe. It is a major sport in Canada, as well as Finland, the Czech Republic, and in Sweden. Ice hockey uses sticks that are L-shaped, made of wood, graphite, or composites of these with a blade at the bottom. James Creighton, a native of Halifax, learned the game of hockey and played it often. He had relocated to Montreal in 1873, bringing with him the knowledge and love for the game. Creighton, together with his friends, played the first game of organized hockey on March 3rd, 1875. This game was comprised of nine skaters per side, and it followed what was known as the Halifax Rules, which were written by Creighton himself. Hockey’s debut in Montreal was well received and quickly grew in popularity. Another account of the origin of the game is that W. F. Robertson, a student at McGill University, witnessed a field hockey game in England. He then decided to adapt the sport in a winter setting, with the objective of keeping the McGill football club in shape during the cold season. In this version of the game, there were fifteen men per side. A lacrosse ball was used, with the edges cut off as the puck. The However, this version reportedly was developed four years after James Creighton’s exhibition of hockey. Many variations of the game experimented with before it became the sport that it is today. A number of high school students hope to qualify for college hockey teams in order to advance their education, as well as their chances in playing in professional leagues.   Try outs and assessments start in high school, in football as well as in other sports. For all involved in college hockey recruiting, therefore, information on college hockey and other details are important in getting an athletic scholarship. Fortunately, the Internet has proved to be a useful venue for both athletes and coaches participating in college hockey, as well as other sports. There are many websites and online forums wherein students and scouts can come together and interact about college hockey recruiting and other important information. D1Athletes is an online community wherein athletes and coaches alike can share and exchange information they need. D1Athletes offers them a place to build an online presence and gain important public exposure.  Read more... (488 words)

It’s Saturday and there is a big fight feel on campus. You wake up and immediately go into rabid fan mode when you start sifting through your college football jerseys. Yes, it’s the kick-off Saturday for college football and you are ready to go! Every fan has their own reason for rooting for a particular team. Although geographic location tends to breed fans for the local cities it’s not always the case in pro sports. Often a person has outside reasons for donning the colors of a team other then the one they grew up watching on television. It could be a fondness in youth for a mascot or team colors. It could be the star football player that was drafted to a team outside of your local market. Whatever the reasoning behind which professional sports franchise you root for it’s obvious that people have a million different reasons to explain why their fan-hood is better than the next persons. However, college football is a much different animal and fans of college football are ravenous fans that don their college football jerseys with a fervor that is unmatched in any other sport. They will paint themselves and wear nothing to a game other than a small thong. They will root in the face of all adversity with the same passion as they would if they were up by fifty points in the third quarter. Tailgating parties have been known to start days before the big game and end days after. It’s tradition and it’s a true battlefield of warriors that spans generations of athletes and scholars alike. Families go to college, not individuals. To clarify; generations tend to go to the same school so it’s easy to see how college sports can become part of a family’s DNA. They spend generations upon generations learning in the same hallowed halls and cheering on the same battered fields of glory. It’s no wonder that you see so many families passing down their college football jerseys to younger generations. You’ll see more authentic vintage jerseys are college football than you’ll see at any other level of sport. With this type of generational heritage it’s easy to see why college football has a die-hard loyal following that any other sports promoter would kill to have. When you wake up on that season kick-off Saturday you’ll surely feel a sense of ability. It’s an ability to cheer your team to the national championships. The ability to become part of a snapshot of history that will live on for all of history, as you become the elder sportsman and you indoctrinate your younger generation into the family fold. You’ll pass down your college football jerseys with pride and you’ll regale stories of when you were in those stands, cheering your team to a national championship. No matter which professional team you root for it will not compare to the passion that you’ll feel for the team that took you to new places as a younger college student. Those were the times of your life and the memories that will mean more to you than any professional ballgame could ever mean.  Read more... (561 words)

Copyright © 2009 Ed BagleyWhen Mark Dantonio became the new Michigan State University football coach two years ago, he came to the East Lansing Campus with a pedigree that shouted success is on the way. He has not disappointed the Spartan faithful. Michigan State had not done diddly-squat since its 1999 team went 10-2, whipped Florida in the Citrus Bowl, led the Big Ten in total defense, and ranked 7th in the final polls. Times have changed in East Lansing. If diddly-squat shows up since Dantonio has arrived, he is in for a fight. Here is what Dantonio has accomplished since his debut 55-18 victory against UAB (the University of Alabama at Birmingham):Turn a losing program into a winning one by going 7-5 in his first regular season, and getting Michigan State its first bowl appearance in 4 years. Despite being a 5-point underdog to No. 14-ranked Boston College in the Champs Sports Bowl, the Spartans only lost by a field goal, 24-21. Their final 7-6 record included a 4-3 mark against bowl-bound teams, and the Spartans lost the 6 games by a total of 31 points, including two in overtime. All 6 games were decided by 7 points or less. It is called defense. With their 31-14 victory over the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on the road in 2007, the Spartans became the first visiting team to win 6-straight games in the 77-year history of Notre Dame Stadium. Last year the progress continued as the Spartans went 9-3 in the regular season, beating Michigan and Notre Dame. They lost at California in their opener 38-31, took it on the chin 45-7 against No. 12-ranked Ohio State at home, and let No. 7-ranked Penn State take it to them 49-18 on the road at Happy Valley. Had they beaten Penn State, they would have had a share of the Big Ten title. Michigan State’s 6-2 Big Ten record was its best since the 1999 season, and its 9 wins represented only the 3rd time since 1966 (the year I graduated from Michigan State) that it had won 9 games in a season. Last season’s second step forward led to the No. 19-ranked Spartans facing off against the No. 16-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl; State lost 24-12. Nevertheless, they ended the year with their second straight winning season (7-6 and 9-4)—their first back-to-back winning seasons in 19 years—and their second straight bowl appearance—their first back-to-back bowl appearances in 12 years. That is what is calling “getting after it”. Dantonio really became prominent as the defensive coordinator for Ohio State, where his defensive unit helped the Buckeyes to a 32-6 record in 3 years, and the 2002 National Championship. In the championship year, Ohio State was 2nd nationally in scoring defense (13 points a game) and 3rd in rushing defense (77 yards per game). Coming into this season, Michigan States loses two All Big Ten seniors—tailback Javon Ringer and safety Otis Wiley, and returns All Big Ten junior linebacker Greg Jones. To say Ringer left a hole in the running game would be a gross understatement. He rushed for 1,637 yards (accounting for 97% of Michigan State’s rushing offense) and scored a school-record 22 touchdowns. Ringer, a consensus All American, was drafted by the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Ringer’s starting spot will be a competitive battle that just may be won by either of two outstanding freshmen—Edwin Baker out of Oak Park High School in Highland Park, or Larry Caper out of Battle Creek Central in Battle Creek. Baker is 5-9 and 200, and Caper is 5-11 and 215. Both are potentially explosive runners with some speed. Replacing senior quarterback Brian Hoyer, an inconsistent 2-year starter, is also an issue. Sophomore Kirk Cousins and redshirt sophomore Keith Nichol have limited experience, appearing in only a combined 8 games. All Big Ten junior Greg Jones had 127 tackles last year, and is arguably the best linebacker in the Big Ten. He must remain tough and healthy for Michigan State to again compete for the Big Ten title. The Spartan offense will also rely heavily on kicker Brett Swenson (22 field goals last year, including one last-minute, game-winner on a weak offense); wide receivers Blair White, Mark Dell and BJ Cunningham; tight end Charlie Gantt; guard Joel Foreman and center Joel Nitchman. Dantonio’s two recruiting classes must produce more new faces on the field this year. New faces better than the players they will replace. In its two biggest games of the year last season—Ohio State and Penn State—Michigan State did not show well and paid for it when the Preseason Coaches’ Top 25 Poll found them absent. Major coaches generally applauded the fact that the Spartans did not take a dive late last season, they won many games they have lost in prior years, but when push came to shove, it was still Ohio State and Penn State on top of the heap. What many boosters may have missed is the fact that Michigan State took one huge step forward in bowl participation. Two years ago they had to settle for the Champs Sports Bowl and a $2. 25 million payout. Last year they moved up to the Capital One Bowl and a $4. 25 million payout. After the 5 BCS bowl games, the Capital One Bowl is the highest paying and most prestigious of the remaining 34 bowl games played last season. Michigan State’s schedule is favorable this year. The Spartans get both Michigan and Penn State at home, and do not play Ohio State. They also play 1-AA Montana State, Central Michigan and Western Michigan. If they cannot beat the latter three teams and Michigan, they have no business going to a bowl game. On a more positive note, while virtually everyone West of the Mississippi River thinks Michigan State could not possibly run the table, there is at least one Spartan in Washington State who thinks otherwise. Never underestimate what Mark Dantonio can accomplish. What if the Spartans beat Notre Dame, Michigan and the rest, and face Penn State at home with an 11-0 mark? That is why college football is so great. It could happen. The odds say it will not happen, but rest assured that if Michigan State plays in a BCS bowl game this season, it will be another giant step forward for Mark Dantonio and his Spartans.  Read more... (1148 words)