Forty years ago this weekend, I witnessed one of the most memorable Kansas-Missouri games ever in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence.
Kansas, the previous year, had won the Big Eight and had gone on to the Final Four. In 1971-72, the Jayhawks had been a disappointment, limping along to an 11-15 record and once again frustrating fans with the then up-and-down nature of the program.
On that Saturday afternoon in '72, though, with sun streaming through the side windows, the fieldhouse was packed as the Tigers came to town. Missouri had a chance to win the conference championship and was favored to beat Kansas. However, those in attendance were treated to the most points scored by a Jayhawk, in the fieldhouse, since Wilt Chamberlain's 52-point outing in 1956.
Bud Stallworth, a 6' 6" senior guard, got hot early and never allowed MU's multiple defenses to phase him. The all-conference player from Alabama put up 38 shots and made 19, of which 17, according to former KU head coach Ted Owens, would have been three point shots in today's game. Stallworth also made 12 of 13 free throws that day as Kansas defeated Missouri 93-80.
I remember watching in awe as Stallworth seemed to make everything that he put up that day and do wonder about how his scoring average for that season would have been magnified by today's three point arc. Stallworth had a sweet jump shot and he was one of the best pure scorers in Kansas history.
Will we see a 50 point effort tomorrow when KU and MU meet for the last time in the regular season as conference opponents? It's doubtful but you can bet that Stallworth, who lives in Lawrence, will be in the crowd reveling in yet another monumental KU-MU game, happening on a Saturday afternoon--the best time to watch a game in Kansas' storied fieldhouse.
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