One of the greatest football players in Kansas State history has been named to the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the 2024 class.

Terence Newman, a Salina native, and one of the most dominant defensive backs in the prolific history of the Wildcats football program. Newman was one of 78 players and nine coaches from the FBS to be named to the ballot.

The corner was a unanimous First Team All-American in 2002 as well as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and the winner of the Thorpe Award for best defensive back in the country. Newman was a team captain and MVP and one of only two players in KSU history to score on a kickoff return and punt return in the same season.

Additional notable names on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot are Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, Colorado running back and former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, California running back Marshawn Lynch, and Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec 10, 2024 in Atlanta. They will also be celebrated at their respective alma maters with an On-Campus Salute during the 2024 season.

One of the largest in-state rivalries is renewing their bad blood on the basketball court.

The Wichita State Shockers and the Kansas Jayhawks are scheduled to face off on December 29th at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. It will be the first regular season men's basketball game between the two schools since 1993.

The Jayhawks won eight of nine games against Wichita State in an annual battle from 1984-1993. The last time the two programs faced off, the Shockers emerged victorious 78-65 in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Kansas will enter the season as one of the favorites to win the national championship, while Wichita State embarks on a new era under 1st year head coach Paul Mills, looking to play spoiler against their rivals.

The Shockers are also slated to play Jerome Tang and the Kansas State Wildcats on December 22nd.

Fresh off of the third Super Bowl championship in franchise history, the Kansas City Chiefs are in Washington today to visit the nation's capitol.

Despite this being the third Super Bowl for the Chiefs, this will be the first visit to the White House in team history. KMBC reporter Dennis Evans says they were unable to go following the first two victories.

President Joe Biden took to social media following the Chiefs victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, saying “Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs on their Super Bowl win and to MVP Patrick Mahomes on leading the team to victory. Through injury and obstacles, you showed grit and true resilience.”

The visit to the White House will be one of the final activities to celebrate the 2023 season. Kansas City wraps up offseason workouts this week, and will look ahead to training camp and kicking off another Super Bowl campaign.

The Big XII Champion Kansas State Wildcats got their official championship rings following the overtime thriller win over TCU.

The front of the ring displays a Powercat in front of a conference championship trophy. The front also shows Big 12 Champions along the edge.

One side of the ring has a purple script CATS, while the other side has a Big 12 logo and a 2022 year mark.

The inside of the ring features the 31-28 final score, in which the Wildcats made a goal line stand to win the conference championship in overtime against an undefeated TCU team.

Championship rings will be distributed to all players, coaches, and personnel.

A star linebacker from Junction City is nearing his college decision, with the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats among the finalists.

Michael Boganowski is considered by many to be the top high school football prospect in the state of Kansas for the class of 2024.

Boganowski recently finished a summer skills camp in Salina, and will embark on a trip to visit his five finalist schools, with the goal of coming to a decision. A few of the key factors for the star defender are playing time, coach relationship, and direction of the program.

The five schools in the mix are Kansas, Oklahoma, Stanford, Florida State, and Kansas State.

Early speculation has Kansas State and Oklahoma as the favorites, but the upcoming senior has kept his thoughts very private over the recruiting process.

Norma Hunt, wife of the late Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, passed away this weekend at the age of 85.

The Hunt family made a statement regarding her passing:

"Kind, generous and unfailingly positive, mom was one of a kind. Her joy and zeal for life were infectious. She loved caring for others, and she had a rare ability to make everyone she encountered feel valued and at ease."

Numerous Chiefs players expressed their condolences on social media, including star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who knew Hunt for over 40 years, says he was "always struck by her warmth and grace."

Hunt was the only woman in NFL history to have attended all 57 Super Bowls.

A Royals fan favorite and World Series champion made his return to Kauffman Stadium this weekend.

Mike Moustakas took the field for yesterday's series finale with the Colorado Rockies, and received a standing ovation from the Royals faithful.

Moustakas spent the first seven seasons of his career in Kansas City, winning American League Comeback Player of the Year, and serving as a crucial part of the lineup that won back to back AL pennants in 2014 and 2015.

Moustakas had two hits on the afternoon, but the Royals were able to secure a 2-0 win to salvage the series finale.

The third baseman is hitting .244 with two home runs and 13 runs batted in as a part-time player for the Rockies.

The NCAA has rewarded Kansas State for their fantastic season a year ago, with a nationally hyped matchup to open the season in Las Vegas.

The Wildcats will travel to Sin City and battle the USC Trojans at T-Mobile Arena, according to a report from CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. The matchup is part of a two game showcase, also featuring the Oregon Ducks and Georgia Bulldogs.

The Trojans are maybe the most anticipated team in America, featuring freshman guard Bronny James, the oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James. Bronny was the #22 ranked prospect in the country in the class of 2023.

USC also welcomes a second talented freshman in Isaiah Collier, the top ranked recruit in the 2023 class. Collier, along with James, join a roster that returns All-Pac 12 player Boogie Ellis and others from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last season.

The star power will be on full display on opening night, when Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Tylor Perry and the Kansas State Wildcats battle Bronny James, Isaiah Collier, and the rising USC Trojans.

One of the superstars from the Elite Eight team last season is returning to Manhattan for his senior season.

Nae'Qwan Tomlin announced yesterday that he will remove his name from the NBA Draft and will finish his career at Kansas State. Forward Keyontae Johnson was medically cleared and will remain in the NBA Draft.

Tomlin is considered a world class athlete, standing 6-feet-10 inches tall and starring at junior college Chipola College in Florida before his career with the Wildcats.

The forward averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season for Kansas State, and will look to take on a larger role with the departure of Johnson.

Kansas State will enter the 2023-24 season with Tomlin and new addition Tylor Perry as the top scoring options for a team looking to replicate the success from last season.

Bringing in the top transfer available in Hunter Dickinson has Jayhawks fans excited for the potential of the program, including their own head coach.

Bill Self has historically seen great success with the center being the focal point of the Kansas offense, featuring NBA talents such as Joel Embiid, Marcus Morris, and Markieff Morris. Self says however, that Dickinson could be one of the most skilled centers he's ever coached.

Dickinson averaged 18.5 points and nine rebounds per game at Michigan last season. He can also spread the floor and shoot, with a consistent mid-range jumper, and shooting 42% from beyond the arc last year.

Self says that Dickinson's shooting ability will be crucial to the success of the Jayhawk offense.

Kansas was ranked the top team in the power rankings by ESPN last week, and will look to Dickinson to produce at an elite level as the Jayhawks chase another Final Four and national championship.

Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman had the entire coaching staff in mind before signing his extension.

Klieman signed a $44 million contract extension that will keep him in charge of the Wildcats football program through the 2030 season. Klieman notes, however, that his salary was not the top priority, and that he wanted to make sure his assistant coaches got fair salaries as well.

A key value of Chris Klieman's culture at KSU is loyalty, with him stating that he wanted the Wildcats to be able to keep top-notch coordinators like Collin Klein.

Klieman also added that he anticipates ending his career at Kansas State, and that he is beyond happy with the current state of Wildcat football. His 30 wins in Manhattan are the most in the first four seasons by any Wildcat football coach in school history.

Wichita State baseball is experiencing exteme roster reconstruction following the end of the 2023 season.

As of earlier today, the Shockers are down to eight players on the active roster, with the remaining players entering the transfer portal.

Recently named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Brock Rodden announced his intent to depart earlier in the week, with the belief he will be drafted in July. Wichita native and star pitcher Grant Adler also is transferring, after posting a 2.55 ERA in 77.2 innings for the Shockers last season.

Wichita State will undergo a national search for the program's next head coach, after electing not to retain interim coach Loren Hibbs. The Shockers finished 30-25 and were eliminated from the conference tournament following losses to Memphis and Houston.

After losing eight players from last year's roster, Kansas coach Bill Self expressed his opinion on the transfer portal.

Self joined Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman on the Field of 68 Podcast to discuss the latest with the Jayhawks program.

Kansas received a major piece this week with the announced return of Kevin McCullar Jr. Self says that bringing McCullar back into the fold adds a nice veteran mix to a really talented roster.

The Jayhawks have had a roller coaster offseason relationship with the transfer portal. Seven notable names from last year's roster, including Bobby Pettiford, Joseph Yesufu, Ernest Udeh Jr, and Zuby Ejiofor all left via the portal.

Even after landing star forward Hunter Dickinson, as well as Arterio Morris, Parker Braun, and Nick Timberlake, Self isn't excited about the value of the portal. He says he thinks the transfer portal will damage college basketball in the long term.

The Jayhawks currently have the top rated transfer class in the nation at the start of June.

Offseason workouts and team activities around the NFL are in full swing, and the Kansas City Chiefs are excited about what they've seen so far.

Plenty of new faces, both through free agency and the draft, are looking to make an impact in Kansas City. This has created an upswing in competition and depth thus far in the new season.

One of those additions is new backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, replacing the retired Chad Henne. Chiefs coach Andy Reid says Gabbert is the perfect fit to serve behind Patrick Mahomes.

Longtime offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is now with Washington, and that means Matt Nagy is once again in charge of the Kansas City offense. Mahomes says that while the system is the same, the verbage and details are different with a new coach.

The Chiefs also have an exciting wide receiver room, wih free agents Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and John Ross, as well as young talents from the draft in Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice, and Justyn Ross.

Mahomes says the receiver room is deep, and he is excited for the competition that will unfold in training camp.

Kansas City will finish off 17 offseason team workouts before reporting to training camp in St. Joseph in the summer.

The Field Kindley High School girls' and boys' track teams see success at the State Meet.

The Nado sent 15 track athletes to compete at State and nine of those placed in the Top 10. Junior Dante Boykins won state in the Triple Jump at 45 feet eight inches breaking his own school record, which he set last week at the Regional Meet. Boykins also placed second in the Long Jump. Sophomore Aaron Tunstall, who recovered from a broken leg during football season, placed second in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Erin Lopez placed third in the 100-meter dash. Senior Chaunte Porter finished 7^th in the shot and discus.

The boy's 4x100 relay team of Boykin, Tunstall, Juniors Amanie, and Amir Luten finished 4^th. The girl's 4x100 relay team of Lopez, Senior Makayla Strickland, Freshman Jakayla Johnson-Jones and Sophomore Brooklyn White placed 6^th.   

One of the highest rated running backs in the Class of 2025 has made a fifth unofficial visit to Lawrence.

Running back Justin Thurman started his career in St. Louis before moving to Florida last season. Thurman was back in the area at the Six Star Football Camp in Kansas City, where he was named MVP of the camp.

Thurman has emerged as a top tier running back in his class, and has a number of offers, but it was the Kansas Jayhawks who offered the first scholarship to the young star.

Thurman says he's been impressed with both the vision and philosophy of the Kansas offense and how they implement running backs, as well as the authenticity from the coaching staff and how much they seem to care.

Thurman also holds offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Kansas State, Iowa, and Notre Dame. He is also scheduled to visit Alabama this summer.

Jerome Tang has been focused on adding a piece to play the wing all offseason, and the Wildcats may be zoning in on their choice.

Former Tennessee Volunteer Olivier Nkamhoua has made a visit to West Virginia and will visit Michigan later this week. However, Kansas State has emerged as a player in the sweepstakes after Nkamhoua made a visit to Manhattan over the weekend.

The forward is widely considered the best power forward available in the transfer portal, after he averaged 11 points, five rebounds, and two assits per game at Tennessee last season. 

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 235 poinds, Nkamhoua is still favored to end up in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines, pairing with former NBA forward Juwan Howard to boost NBA draft stock. But after an Elite Eight run, and looking to replace Keyontae Johnson, Desi Sills, and Ish Massoud on the wing, it may be Tang and the Wildcats who can offer the sweetest deal for the star forward.

Field Kindley holds a send-off for their track athletes competing in the State Meet this weekend.

The Nado send two new school record holders to State after their performances during the regional meet in Chanute.  Senior Makayla Strickland broke her record set last year for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16 seconds flat.  

Junior Dante Boykins set the record for the triple jump at 45 feet and five inches.  15 members of track team members will compete over the next two days in multiple events at the State Meet.

Independence Community College has named a new head women's basketball coach. 

Former Assistant Coach Rob Beckmann has been named the new head coach for the Pirates.  ICC President Dr. Vincent Bowhay says Coach Beckmann is a man of integrity who puts student-athletes first and he is excited to see all that Coach Beckmann will accomplish in this new role.  In addition to serving as an assistant to former Head Coach Jim Turgeon, Beckmann also served as the recruiting coordinator for the past three seasons. 

During Beckmann's time as an assistant at ICC the Pirates have won 60 games, won the 2021 NJCAA Region VI Championship, the program’s first in 25 years, and won the 2022 Jayhawk Conference Championship with 20 wins over league opponents. ICC Athletic Director Melissa Anderson says Coach Beckmann has been pivotal in the success of the women’s basketball program and his competitive spirit, passion for the game and true belief in junior college athletics will help him continue to grow the program. 

A Kansas freshman baseball player has been named the first ever Conference Freshman of the Year in program history.

Kodey Shojinaga, a freshman infielder from Honolulu, Hawaii, was named the Co-Freshman of the Year in the Big XII conference this week. He is the first Jayhawk to ever receive this award, and was also named to the All-Freshman Team unanimously and the All-Big XII Second Team.

Shojinaga ranks seventh in all of Division 1 for true freshman with a .380 batting average, which is the second best mark in the conference. He led the Jayhawks with 70 hits, 19 multi-hit games, a .424 on-base percentage, and a .962 OPS.

Four other Jayhawks received all-conference honors with Jansen Reeder being named All-Conference First Team, and Collin Baumgartner, Cole Elvis, and Chase Jans All-Conference Second Team.

Kansas pulled off an upset of top seed Texas in the opening round of the conference tournament, and will take on the TCU Horned Frogs this afternoon.

The Kansas City Royals have rewarded a pair of left-handed pitchers for their strong starts to 2023, with promotions to the next level of the minor leagues.

Anthony Veneziano was promoted from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Triple-A Omaha. Veneziano, a 10th round pick in 2019 out of Coastal Carolina, pitched to a 5-1 record with a 2.13 ERA and 48 strikeouts in eight games at NW Arkansas.

Naturals broadcaster Shawn Murnin says that it's Veneziano's command that makes him so tough, even when he doesn't have his top stuff.

Moving from High-A Quad Cities to Double-A is left-hander Noah Cameron. Cameron was a 7th round pick in 2021 out of Central Arkansas, and is a regional product from St. Joseph, Missouri, just an hour away from Kansas City.

Cameron has been dominant to start the year, with 58 strikeouts in just 35 innings pitched, the 2nd-most punch outs in all of Minor League Baseball. Murnin says the Top 30 prospect has all the makeup of a star thus far in his professional career.

Both pitchers made their debuts in their new spots last night, with Veneziano allowing five runs in two innings, and Cameron throwing seven scoreless innings in Tulsa.

One of the most dominant forwards of the Bill Self era will be suiting up for the Kansas alumni team this summer in The Basketball Tournament.

Thomas Robinson, who scored nearly 700 points as a junior in 2012 and led Kansas to a national title game appearance, was revealed as the newest member of the Mass Street alumni team.

TBT was created in 2014 and is a 64-team March Madness style tournament with teams of college basketball and NBA legends and stars. 

Robinson joins Tyshawn Taylor and Keith Langford on the Jayhawks alumni team. Langford is one of the greatest scorers in Kansas basketball history, while Taylor played with Robinson as the point guard in the early 2010s.

The Mass Street team will be coached by KU greats Marcus and Markieff Morris, who are ineligible to play due to active NBA contracts. Regionals for Mass Street will be between July 20-25.

The KJCCC East Division have released their annual end of season awards, with five Red Ravens earning all-conference honors.

Freshman second baseman Carson Schrack was named 1st-Team All KJCCC and 2nd-Team All Region. Schrack was also named KJCCC East co-Freshman of the Year, sharing the honor with Johnson County's Dagen Brewer.

Outfielder Jack Bell was 2nd-Team all KJCCC and earned a Region VI Gold Glove honor. Bell set a program record with 51 stolen bases on the season, and had a .993 fielding percentage in center field.

Both freshman Ricky Hernandez and infielder Quentin Platt were 2nd-Team all KJCCC. Hernandez led the team with nine wins on the mound and eight complete games, while Platt had 10 doubles and 25 runs batted in.

Shortstop and pitcher Mason Holton was an honorable mention, following a strong season in which he set a new program record with 65 runs batted in.

The Red Ravens finished the season 28-31, losing in the first round of the NJCAA Regional Tournament to Cloud County.

Coffeyville Community College finished a very successful 2023 season with a performance at NJCAA Nationals, including an individual winning a second consecutive national championship.

Sophomore Anthony Woods jumped a personal best of 7.86 meters (25' 9.50") in the Long Jump Finals to earn his second NJCAA Outdoor Long Jump National Title.

Red Raven Jumps Coach DJ Lilley says that Woods was in a slump entering the finals, but was able to lock in for his most important jumps of his career.

Woods is from Lousiville, Kentucky, and began his career at Barton County before ending a two-time champion at Coffeyville. Woods says his collegiate track journey has been everything he could have hoped for.

Full results of the NJCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championships can be found on the Coffeyville Community College Athletic website.

*photo courtesy of Coffeyville Community College*

Field Kindley High School track and field athletes are heading to state. 15 Nado and Lady Nado runners, jumpers and throwers will be competing at state after their performances at the 4A regional competition in Chanute.

Brooklyn White and Erin Lopez will be competing in the 100-meter dash after finishing second and third. Audrey Cavaness will run the 400-meter dash at state after her third-place finish. Makayla Strickland finished third in the 100-meter hurdles. Chaunte Porter finished first in the discus throw and second in the shot put and Zyon Robinson-Turner finished third in the shot put. The 4x100 meter relay team of Strickland, Lopez, Jakayla Johnson Jones and White finished third. The Lady Nado finished fifth overall as a team.

Aaron Tunstall finished third in the 100-meter dash and second in the 200-meter dash. Amir Luten finished second in the 400-meter dash. Jake Horner was the region champion in both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles. Donte Boykin was the region champion in the long jump and the triple jump. Kainen White finished second in both the shot and discus throw. Keiton Jones finished fourth in the shot put. The 4x100 meter relay team of Boykins, Tunstall, Amir Luten and Amani Luten finished second and the 4x400 meter relay team of Tunstall, the Lutens and KeShawn Hayes finished fourth. The Nado boys as a team finished third.

The state meet will take place this Friday and Saturday.