KU Should Retire the Numbers of These Kansas Basketball Icons: Part 3

Welcome to part three of a four-part series, during which we take a look back at some of the all-time Kansas basketball greats, and why a few select members should have their numbers retired as a way to further honor their legacies at Kansas forever.

In part two, we shared why Kansas women’s basketball icon Lynette Woodard should have her No. 31 retired. Her achievements at KU will likely never be replicated, and she will forever be one of the best players (men’s or women’s) in Kansas basketball history.

Just four years after Woodard left KU, another generational player came along who ended up making an everlasting impact on Kansas basketball.

No. 25 – Danny Manning*

Former Kansas basketball head coach Larry Brown landed one of the most heralded recruits in KU history when a young Danny Manning committed to play for the Jayhawks in the fall of 1984.

Playing his senior year of high school basketball at Lawrence High, Manning was named the 1984 Kansas Player of the Year by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association and a McDonald’s All-American.

His success at the high school level quickly translated over to the college game where he was named Big 8 Rookie of the Year after averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during the 1984-85 season.

He followed that up with a sophomore season where he averaged 16.7 points per game and was named the Big 8 Player of the Year before leading Kansas to the Final Four in 1986. It was the first of three Big 8 Player of the Year awards for Manning who averaged 23.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game his junior year and 24.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a senior.

He was also a Consensus First-Team All-American (Associated Press) his junior and senior year and led the Jayhawks to the 1988 NCAA Championship.

That 1987-88 team is now referred to as “Danny and the Miracles” due to their improbable run in the NCAA Tournament that year, winning six games as a No. 6 seed and defeating heavily favored Oklahoma in the national championship.

Manning was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 31 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in the championship game. He averaged 27.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game throughout the tournament that year.

Manning’s 27.2 scoring average in the NCAA Tournament is the third highest in men’s college basketball history among players who have won a national championship, behind only UCLA’s Bill Walton (30.3 points in 1973) and Ohio State’s Jerry Lucas (28.5 points in 1961).

To this day, Manning remains the all-time leading scorer (2,951 points) and rebounder (1,187) in Kansas basketball history. He’s also top 10 all time in assists, blocks, and steals.

Outside of Wilt Chamberlain, there has never been a single player in KU men’s basketball history who was more dominant or meant more to his team than Danny Manning.

His No. 25 deserves to be retired forever to honor a player whose likes may never be seen at Kansas again.

Other Kansas greats who wore No. 25

*Former Kansas center Bert “B.H.” Born and Kansas guard Brandon Rush also have their No. 25 jerseys retired in Allen Fieldhouse.

Born played at KU from 1951 to 1954 under legendary coach Phog Allen. He was a reserve player on the 1952 NCAA Championship team who then led KU back to the title game in 1953. Born recorded an unofficial triple-double in that game with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 blocks – becoming the first player ever to be named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as a member of the non-championship winning team. He was also a two-time First-Team All-Big Seven selection and an Associated Press All-American (Honorable Mention) in 1953.

Rush had his jersey retired in Allen Fieldhouse in February 2017. Over the course of his three-year career at Kansas from 2006 to 2008, he averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, helping lead the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA Championship. He was a three-time First-Team All-Big 12 selection and a two-time Wooden Award All-American.