Welcome to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library blog! As the special collections and archives library at the University of Kansas, Spencer is home to remarkable and diverse collections of rare and unique items. Explore the blog to learn about the work we do and the materials we collect.
Check the blog each Friday for a new “That’s Distinctive!” post. I created the series because I genuinely believe there is something in our collections for everyone, whether you’re writing a paper or just want to have a look. “That’s Distinctive!” will provide a more lighthearted glimpse into the diverse and unique materials at Spencer – including items that many people may not realize the library holds. If you have suggested topics for a future item feature or questions about the collections, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
With the conclusion of the 2023 football season, I thought it would be fun to share some photos from KU football’s beginning. The football team at the University of Kansas played its first season in 1890, which makes it one of the oldest college football programs in the country. According to Wikipedia, “The most successful era for Kansas football was 1890 to 1952, when the program recorded four undefeated seasons and posted an overall .603 winning percentage, over 300 wins, several conference championships, and made major bowl appearances.” After 1952, the team’s success progressively fell. However, since 2021 the team has had a dramatic change of pace, ending the 2023 regular season with an 8-4 record. The season also led the Jayhawks to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, where they won against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 49-36.
The Jayhawks’ home stadium, David Booth Memorial Stadium, opened in 1921 and is the seventh oldest college football stadium in the country. In December 2023, construction began on the stadium to kick off the Gateway District project. The project includes restructuring of the stadium, the addition of a hotel and a conference center, and more. A livestream of the construction can be viewed online. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be finished in time for the 2025 football season.
Below I am sharing team photos from 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893. Interestingly, KU’s first African American football player, Edward Harvey, was a member of the 1893 squad; you can see him in the last photo below. An all-around athlete, Edward also played on the 1890 and 1891 baseball teams. His two brothers were also athletes at KU.
These photos are from University Archives. Located in Spencer, University Archives houses all things KU related; from photos, to ephemera, to manuscripts, much of the history of KU is documented here. Digital collections from University Archives can also be found via Spencer’s website.
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The University of Kansas football team in (from top to bottom) 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/14 1890 Team Prints: Athletic Department: Football (Photos). Click images to enlarge (all redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
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!
Who’s excited to cheer on the Jayhawks this Saturday as they play the University of Oklahoma?
The cover of The Jayhawk Gridster souvenir program for the KU football game against the University of Oklahoma, November 9, 1940. University Archives. Call Number: RG 66/14/1: Athletic Department: Football: Programs. Click image to enlarge.
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’s image is the first Jayhawk drawing to appear in print.
The first Jayhawk drawing to appear in print, University Daily Kansan, October 25, 1912. Drawn by Daniel Henry “Hank” Maloy, this illustration is the final panel in a cartoon series titled “What We’ve Had to Stand For This Week at K.U.” This sketch references the football team’s 0-6 loss to Drake University. University Archives. Call Number: UA Ser 69/2/1. Click image to enlarge.
KU student Daniel Henry “Hank” Maloy drew what became the first “signature” Jayhawk. In recollections of his college years, Maloy remembered that he first had the idea of drawing the Jayhawk as a bird in October of 1912 when he saw a stuffed chickenhawk in the Squires photography studio [in downtown Lawrence]. He went home and drew a long-legged Jayhawk with big, heavy shoes so that he “could administer more effective justice” towards athletic opponents.
The term Jayhawker has been associated with Kansas since the pre-Civil War era and eventually became the symbol for the University of Kansas. In 1886, the term Jayhawk was incorporated into [KU’s] world-famous college yell “Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU,” although it was not yet portrayed as a bird. In a pre-Maloy drawing in the 1908 Jayhawker yearbook, a rather prehistoric looking bird is perched on a goalpost heckled a miserable looking Missouri Tiger.
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!
Portrait of Gale Sayers as a KU student, circa 1962-1965. Photograph by Duke D’Ambra. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
Gale Sayers training, circa 1962-1965. Photograph by Duke D’Ambra. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
Gale Sayers (No. 48) prepares to throw the ball during a KU football game, 1965. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
Gale Sayers signs autographs for Eric Pence and brothers Wayne and John Walker, November 30, 1974. Lawrence Journal-World Photo Collection, University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG LJW 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
Gale Sayers – with Athletic Director Bob Frederick (left) and Chancellor Gene Budig (right) – holds up his jersey as his number is retired during a halftime ceremony during the KU-Oklahoma football game, September 30, 1989. Photograph by Gary Mook. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
Gale Sayers signs Patrick Golden’s football card during a card show at the Topeka Holidome, October 1990. Photograph by Staton Breidenthal. Lawrence Journal-World Photo Collection, University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG LJW 66/14 Gale Sayers: Athletic Department: Football: Players (Photos). Click image to enlarge.
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!
Chancellor Gene Budig with the KU football team, 1980s. University Archives Photos. Call Number: RG 2/17 1980s Prints: Chancellors: Gene Budig (Photos). Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).
