USD Football 1993

Coach Glen Mason has built the Kansas University football program into a bonafide contender.

By Jon Cooper G Jen Mason didn' t mind playing second fiddle, or even third fiddle. He just wan ted to show off his Kansas Jayhawks football team. After all, a few years ago, how many people would have even considered putting the Kansas University football team in a game as prestigious as the Kickoff Classic? "I know that we were probably not the first choice in that game, but some didn't want to play Florida State. However, we jumped at the chance to play Bobby Bowden and his excellent football team," said Mason, a 43- year-old native of Colonia, NJ. Few people could have imagined that, five years after a dismal 1-10 season, Kansas would be invited to meet the nation's top- ranked team in the Kickoff Classic. Of course, few could have imagined

Kansas reeling off back-to- back winning seasons, then winning a bowl game. One man who could, was KU coach, Glen Mason. It seems fitt ing that a man named Mason would be responsible for rebuild- ing the KU football pro- gram. He played college ball under Woody Hayes at Ohio State. After graduat- ing in 1972, he earned his master's degree at Ball

Under the JJ1atchfttl eyes ofCoach Glen Mason, the Jayha111/:s ha11eear11ed the respect of their J!i{J Eight 1·111als.