We always say that time flies, but don't tell that to the people in Kansas. Deep in the heart of middle America, it's as if time has been moving on the back of a snail. To the folks of Lawrence, students (both current ones and alums) and natives have not seen their beloved Kansas Jayhawks win the national championship in precisely two decades.
It was in 1988, when Larry Brown and Danny Manning led the ultimate underdog Jayhawks to the national championship. And the world was stunned. While it was a powerhouse basketball program throughout the 80s, Kansas entered the dance that year with very little hope of making a long run into the tournament. As a sixth seed, many had KU going down to Xavier in their first round matchup. But game after game, the fans "waved the wheat" and the players played the type of basketball that kept sending their opponents home for good ( www.kansascity.com/sports/sory/534306.html). This created a brilliant Jayhawk joyride that culminated on April 4, 1988, when Kansas defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 83-79. For the rest of us, the last twenty years have flown by at the speed of light. Yet in Lawrence, Kansas, 1988 seems like a century ago.
