How to Talk Jayhawk

Let us get you ready to host our Big 12 competitors from Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday.

Written by Morgantown magazine staff

Football season is here! Tailgates, marching bands, gridiron thrills—and best of all, a chance to mingle with our fellow Big 12 schools. First up, the University of Kansas. How much do you know about Jayhawk territory? We’re here to fill you in with team trivia and tailgate tips.

• Lawrence, Kansas, where KU is located, was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who wanted to influence the territory’s vote to become a Free State. 
• The jayhawk is a mythical creature–half quarrelsome blue jay, half cunning sparrow hawk—and was a term pro-slavery Kansans used to describe Free Staters.
• The jayhawk became the KU mascot in 1912. 
• The original jayhawk, Big Jay, now shares duties with Baby Jay, who hatched from an egg on the 50-yard line during the 1971 homecoming game.
• Kansas is the Sunflower State.
• This isn’t football, but it’s cool: The actual inventor of the game of basketball, James Naismith, was KU’s first basketball coach. 

Tailgate Tips

If it’s Kansas, it must be barbecue. Here are two ideas. The former Atomic Grill shared the ingredients and method for its Sunflower State Barbecue Sauce with Morgantown magazine in 2018—you can experiment with the measures. Enjoy the sauce with your favorite barbecue meats, or to make our second recipe: Kansas Brisket Dip.

Makenna Spangler contributed to this story.

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