Kenneth Spencer Research Library

Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!

Did you know that KU basketball coach Phog Allen invented a new game called Goal-Hi in the 1930s?

Members of the KU basketball team playing Goal-Hi on campus, 1939.
Bailey Hall and Jayhawk Boulevard are visible in the background.
University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/22 Forrest C. Allen
1939 Negatives: Athletic Department: Coaches and Staff (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

In his book Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball, author Scott Morrow Johnson writes that Allen’s personal finances suffered during the Great Depression of the 1930s. “By the end of the decade, he was making only about five thousand dollars annually, one of the lowest coaching salaries in the conference.” Goal-Hi was one of several “creative ways” in which Allen sought to increase his income. Although there was some initial interest in the game, it “never really caught on” (110).

Learn more about the rules of Goal-Hi – and see a diagram of the playing field – by checking out the December 1943 U.S. War Department technical manual Informal Games for Soldiers. You can also see a February 1940 advertisement for Goal-Hi in the Journal of Health and Physical Education.

Additional information about Goal-Hi can be found in University Archives, specifically in Phog Allen’s coaching records, which are currently being digitized.

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!

This week we’re remembering former KU chancellor Del Shankel, who passed away on July 12th.

Del Shankel, then Acting Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
with students outside Hoch Auditorium, 1973. Lawrence Journal-World Photo Collection,
University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG LJW 2/18 1973 Prints:
Chancellors: Del Shankel (Photos). Click image to enlarge.

Chancellor Del Shankel speaking at Commencement, 1981.
University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 2/18 1981 Prints:
Chancellors: Del Shankel (Photos). Click image to enlarge.

Del Shankel, then Executive Vice Chancellor, 1991. University Archives Photos.
Call Number: RG 2/18 1991 Prints: Chancellors: Del Shankel (Photos). Click image to enlarge.

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!

We’re super excited about Saturday’s game against Villanova. Rock Chalk!

KU basketball fans during the NCAA tournament, 1988.
The sign reads “Hawks soar cats hit the floor KU is in the final four.”
University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 71/66/13 1988-04 Negatives:
Student Activities: Sports: Basketball (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

As many fans likely remember, KU defeated Kansas State in the Midwest regional final of the 1988 NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks then beat Duke in the Final Four and won the championship with a win over Oklahoma.

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!

“NCAA – Hawkers All the Way” sign at KU’s game against the University of Houston
in the NCAA tournament, 1967. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/13 1966/1967
Games University of Houston: Athletic Department: Basketball (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services

Each week we’ll be posting a photograph from University Archives that shows a scene from KU’s past. We’ve also scanned more than 34,800 images from KU’s University Archives and made them available online; be sure to check them out!

We love KU basketball! This week’s photograph is pumping us up for the last few weeks of the season, specifically KU’s game against Oklahoma on Monday. Rock Chalk!

KU’s Daisy Hill residence halls the night before the Homecoming game against Oklahoma, 1976.
The building at the bottom of the photo appears to be Wescoe Hall. University Archives Photos.
Call Number: RG 71/1 1976 Prints: Student Activities: Homecoming (Photos).
Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Caitlin Donnelly
Head of Public Services