KANSAS CITY (AP) – A food safety manager said dirty conditions and poor food handling endangered customers at Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums in Kansas City. A city health inspection prompted by the allegations found dozens of critical health code violations at the stadiums.
ESPN first reported the allegations from Jon Costa, the food safety manager for Aramark, which runs concessions at the two stadiums and at sports venues across the country.
Costa said he found such things as cockroaches and mouse feces in food-service areas and foods kept at unsafe temperatures. The city health inspection on Nov. 3 found mold in ice machines and dirty equipment.
Aramark spokesman Tod MacKenzie said the claims come from a disgruntled employee, even though he was responsible for managing food safety at the stadiums.
The K-State men’s and women’s basketball teams host a doubleheader Friday, Nov. 14, in Bramlage Coliseum to begin their 2014-15 seasons. Coach Mittie and the women’s team host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at 5:30 p.m., followed by Coach Weber and the men’s team taking on Southern Utah University at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the doubleheader start as low as $12.50 with a Wildcat 4 Pack for $50. Single tickets start at just $15.
Fans with men’s or women’s basketball season tickets can attend both games but are asked to sit in the general admission sections for the game for which they do not have a ticket.
To purchase tickets, click here or call 1-800-221-CATS.
Opening Night
Ten-time defending Big 12 Conference champion Kansas begins the 2014-15 season by hosting UC Santa Barbara, Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. (Central). The game will be televised on Jayhawk IMG TV/ESPN3.com. Ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press and No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches’ preseason polls, Kansas is looking to win its 42nd-consecutive home opener in Allen Fieldhouse, dating back to the 1973-74 season. Since 2001-02, the Jayhawks have won their last 12 season openers. UC Santa Barbara (0-0) is coming off a 21-9 season in which it placed second in the Big West Conference with a 12-4 record. The Gauchos are not ranked heading into 2014-15.
About Kansas
Expectations are always high for Kansas and that is status quo for the 2014-15 season as KU coach Bill Self enters his 12th season at the helm with an 82.5 (325-69) winning percentage, the highest winning percentage in school history.
Kansas went 25-10 in 2013-14 and won its unprecedented 10th-straight Big 12 and NCAA-leading 57th regular-season conference championship. Self brings back nine letterwinners, including two starters, from the team that advanced to the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Losing the No. 1 and No. 3 overall selections in the 2014 NBA Draft, Self looks to reload for 2014-15. Kansas returning starters are Perry Ellis, a junior forward, and Wayne Selden, Jr., a sophomore guard. Ellis is KU’s leading returning scorer at 13.5 points per game in 2013-14, and rebounder at 6.7 rpg. Selden averaged 9.7 points per game his rookie year at KU and both he and Ellis were named to the 2014 All-Big 12 squad with Ellis a third-team selection and Selden honorable mention. The duo also earned weekly conference honors during 2013-14.
Other key returnees include junior F Jamari Traylor and sophomore guards Frank Mason III and Brannen Greene. Traylor averaged 4.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 2013-14. Included was his first career double-double with personal highs in points (17) and rebounds (14) in KU’s opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament against Eastern Kentucky. Mason averaged 5.5 points and 2.1 assists last season and started three games at the point. Greene appeared in 28 games and scored 2.4 points per outing.
Sophomore F Landen Lucas (1.5 ppg, 1.4 rpg in 22 games last season) and redshirt junior F Hunter Mickelson, a transfer who sat out 2013-14 but practiced with the team, will add depth to the inside. Mickelson started 25 games in two seasons at Arkansas, from 2012-13, where he averaged 5.3 points, 3.6 rebounds with 111 blocked shots. His 72 blocks in 2011-12 set the Arkansas freshman record.
Walk-on guards Christian Garrett, Evan Manning and Tyler Self also return. Garrett is the lone senior on the KU squad, while Manning, son of KU legend Danny Manning, is a junior and Self, son of the KU head coach, a redshirt sophomore. Self injured his foot in preseason practice prior to the 2013-14 season and did not play.
Excluding Mickelson, who has been in the KU system for a year, Self welcomes five newcomers to the roster, including McDonald’s All-Americans forward Cliff Alexander and guard Kelly Oubre, Jr. A power forward who was ranked No. 3 by ESPN100, Alexander was the 2014 Naismith High School National Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball USA. Oubre was ranked No. 11 by ESPN100 and both he and Alexander competed for Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic in the spring 2014. Additionally, Oubre was invited to work at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy and the adidas Nation’s camps in the summer of 2014.
Highly-rated guards Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk round out the KU freshmen for 2014-15. Graham led Brewster Academy to the 2014 national prep championship and New England prep title. At 17, Mykhailiuk is the youngest player in the Big 12 Conference. His international experience is extensive as he has represented his home country, Ukraine, for the past few years at events such as the 2013 U16 European Championships, the 2014 U18 European Championships and the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was an opponent of Alexander and Oubre at the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit. Walk-on freshman G Josh Pollard, nephew of former KU center Scot Pollard, rounds out the Jayhawk newcomers.
About UC Santa Barbara
Located in Santa Barbara, California, with an enrollment of 20,847, UC Santa Barbara returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from a team which went 21-9 and placed second in the Big West Conference in 2013-14. The Gauchos are coached by Bob Williams who is 269-212 in his 17th season at UCSB and 458-312 in his 26th season overall. UCSB is picked second in the 2014-15 Big West Preseason Media Poll. UC Irvine is the league favorite according to the media.
Senior F Alan Williams is the top returner for UCSB as he led the nation in rebounding last season with an 11.5 per game average. The 2014 Big West Player of the Year and a two-time all-conference first team selection, Williams averaged 21.3 points per game, which also led his league. Junior G Michael Bryson was an honorable mention All-Big West selection last year who averaged 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Senior G Zalmico Harmon was second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio last year at 4.6-to-1. He averaged 7.8 points per game. Junior F Mitch Brewe (4.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg) rounds out the returning starters. Sophomore G Eric Childress (5.3 ppg) and junior F Sam Beeler (2.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) are other top returners from last season for UCSB.
UCSB defeated Point Loma 70-54 in its lone exhibition game with Williams leading the way with 20 points and 19 rebounds. Freshman G Gabe Vincent scored 13 points in the victory.
The Series
Kansas won the only meeting with UC Santa Barbara, 72-52, in the opening round of the Wolf Pack Holiday Classic, Dec. 20, 2003, in Reno, Nevada, in Bill Self’s first season at Kansas. KU is 5-2 all-time versus current membership of the Big West Conference with a 3-1 record versus Long Beach State and 2-1 mark against Hawaii.
In the Polls
Kansas men’s basketball enters the 2014-15 season at No. 5 in both the Associated Press the USA Today Coaches’ polls. This marks the third-straight year, and the fifth time in the last six seasons, that the Jayhawks have entered the season No. 7 or higher by AP and the ninth time in the Bill Self era that the Jayhawks start the season slotted seventh or higher. Self, the three-time national and five-time conference coach of the year, is entering his 12th season at KU where he has a 325-69 (82.5 percent) record. Additionally, this is the 23rd time in the 26-year history of the coaches’ poll the Jayhawks have been ranked.
Last season, KU entered the season No. 5 by AP and ended 10th and No. 6 in the coaches’ poll and finished at No. 14. The Jayhawks were ranked in the top-10 on 14 occasions by the AP and 13 weeks by the coaches during the 2013-14 season.
In 2014-15, Kansas could potentially play nine games against teams ranked in the preseason coaches’ poll: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 7 Florida, No. 10 Texas (twice), No. 14 Iowa State (twice), No. 18 Michigan State and No. 19 Oklahoma (t
Due to an unforeseen chain of inclement weather events expected to take place in Kansas City, Saturday’s Fall Classic has been relocated to Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo., from Arrowhead Stadium.
After consulting with the National Football League office and a thorough review of the weather forecast, our grounds crew strongly suggested eliminating any activity on the field prior to the game on Sunday. Due to the potential combination of wet snow conditions followed by below freezing temperatures, it has been recommended that the field remain covered during the forecasted precipitation on Saturday.
“We would like to express our thanks to Mel Tjeerdsma, Loren Ferré and both universities for their understanding and working with us to find a solution to this unpredictable situation,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said.
All tickets for Saturday’s scheduled game at Arrowhead will be refunded in full at the original point of purchase. Tickets will be available at the Northwest Missouri State University Ticket Office. Ticket information for Saturday’s game will be available on both Northwest Missouri State and Washburn University’s websites later this afternoon. Kickoff time has also been changed to 1 p.m.
Any ticket-related questions for the Chiefs can be directed to (816) 920-4237.
Northwest Missouri State head men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum announced the additions of Grant Graham and Tyler Dougherty to the 2015-16 roster. Graham, from Eldridge, Iowa, was a standout guard at North Scott High School while Dougherty is a 6-6 forward from Papillion-LaVista High School in LaVista, Neb.
“Both of these kids really wanted to be at Northwest,” said McCollum. “They fit our culture and we think it’s extremely important having kids that want to be in our program. We are very excited about having these two young men join our basketball family.”
Graham was a second team All-Mississippi Athletic Conference performer as a junior, earning third team accolades as a freshman and honorable mention honors as a sophomore. In three seasons, Graham has compiled 622 points, 150 assists, 221 rebounds, 68 steals and eight blocked shots. He has a single game high of 26 points. North Scott has advanced to the sub-state finals all three seasons. Graham maintaines a 3.87 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and has earned All-MAC academic team honors all three seasons.
“Grant is a very tough and heady guard,” McCollum said. “We were impressed with his ability to always make the right play on offense. He is a very good defender, one of the best we saw in high school last year. Grant’s North Scott team is 40-6 the last two seasons and that’s one of the first things we look at when recruiting a kid. Grant will do his job in the classroom and will be a great kid in the community.”
Dougherty has helped lead the Papillion-LaVista Monarchs to a pair of Nebraska Final Four appearances. As a junior, he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds. Last season, he scored a career-best 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Omaha Westside. Dougherty is an all-state scholar athlete, earning all-state honorable mention honors and all-area first team accolades. He played club basketball for Omaha Sports Academy and helped lead the team to the Mullens High Profile Tournament titel in 2014 in St. Louis. A three sport standout in football and soccer in addition to basketball, Dougherty is also an honor roll student and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is the younger brother of current Bearcat redshirt freshman Brett Dougherty.
“Tyler is a strong and tough kid,” said McCollum. “He is very good at attacking the basket and finishing around the rim. He has been a part of some very successful teams at Papillion LaVista and with his AAU team the Omaha Crusaders. Tyler is a fantastic kid and comes from a great family that we already know very well through his brother Brett.”
The NCAA Div. I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) returns to Kansas City in 2015 as Arrowhead Stadium will play host to a match-up between the University of Missouri Tigers and the Brigham Young University Cougars on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015. The game will mark the first FBS game to be featured at Arrowhead Stadium since Mizzou topped Kansas 24-10 in Big 12 Conference action on Nov. 26, 2011. Kickoff time and ticket details for the game will be announced at a later date.
“We’ve been focused on bringing FBS football back to Arrowhead Stadium for some time and have investigated a number of ways to accomplish that,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “We want to thank both Missouri and BYU for making this possible. We know that this will be a unique opportunity for the players, coaches and fans of both institutions to experience the iconic Arrowhead atmosphere.”
The University of Missouri, serving as the game’s home team, joined the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Eastern Division in 2012 and went on to win the SEC Eastern Division title in 2013, marking its fourth conference divisional title in the past seven seasons after claiming Big 12 North championships in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Head Coach Gary Pinkel’s squad ranks in the top 10 among the power five conferences in wins, while also ranking in the top 10 in Academic Progress Rate (APR) since 2007. The program sits in the top five for most NFL first-round draft picks since 2009. Pinkel is Mizzou’s all-time winningest coach with 109 victories in 14 seasons. He has led the program to nine bowl games in his previous 13 years, while the school has played in 30 bowl games in its history. The Tigers are no stranger to football in Kansas City, having played 30 games all-time in the city. Mizzou has played seven times inside Arrowhead Stadium, going 5-2 overall from 2005-11.
“We are very pleased to have this opportunity to bring Mizzou to Kansas City. Having a presence there is very important to us, and this game underscores our commitment to doing just that, as we indicated when we moved to the Southeastern Conference,” University of Missouri Director of Athletics Mike Alden said. “This is an exciting, high-profile game for our fans, and we’re looking forward to working with the Kansas City Chiefs and the KC Sports Commission. We know from past experiences that they will do an outstanding job of making this a special event for Tiger fans.”
Brigham Young University, the game’s visiting team, is a football independent with a record of elite-level success and tradition that includes winning the 1984 National Championship. Over the past 40 seasons, only four FBS programs–Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Florida State–have won more games than BYU while the Cougars have advanced to 32 bowl games and earned top-25 rankings during 31 seasons. BYU boasts seven members of the College Football Hall of Fame along with a Heisman Trophy winner, seven Sammy Baugh Trophy recipients, four Davey O’Brien Award honorees, two Outland Trophy winners and a Doak Walker Award recipient. Current head coach Bronco Mendenhall has led BYU to an 87-38 record since 2005 to rank 12th in total victories while achieving a 6-3 bowl record–only Florida State has more bowl wins (seven) over the past nine seasons. Off the field, BYU is tied for fifth for the most Academic All-Americans since 2005.
“It’s a great opportunity and challenge for our football team to play such a fine school as Missouri. They are a new SEC school with a rich football tradition going back to the Big 12,” BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe said. “It will also be exciting for our team to play at Arrowhead Stadium in a region of the country where we haven’t been in a while.”
As part of the agreement between the teams, the Tigers will play at Lavell Edwards Stadium on Nov. 7, 2020.
Arrowhead Stadium has played host to 36 college football games throughout its 43-year history. Most notably, the venue has hosted five Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship Games, five Border Showdown contests between Mizzou and Kansas, 13 Fall Classic games featuring Northwest Missouri State University, Pittsburg State University and Washburn University, as well as more than a dozen other contests highlighting teams from across the country.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Football wraps up the regular season this Saturday with a challenging trip to Joplin to face Missouri Southern. The Griffons enter with their 12th consecutive winning season in the MIAA already sewn up. Meanwhile, Missouri Southern is looking for their fifth win of the year after a promising year in 2013.,
Just two games separate the all-time series between Missouri Western and,Missouri Southern, with the Lions holding a 23-21 advantage. During the Jerry,Partridge era, neither team has won more than five in a row, with MWSU,winning each game between 1999 and 2003. Missouri Southern and Northwest,Missouri State are the only MIAA opponents to hold a winning record against,the Griffons since 2009, with Southern holding a 3-2 advantage in the last five,matchups. The two teams have traded the last four games.
Missouri Western is coming off their most convincing victory since early in the 2013 season. A roller coaster of an offensive season hit a peak last week against Nebraska-Kearney when the Griffons racked up a, season-high, 550 yards of total offense and 55 points. Missouri Western averaged more than seven yards per play on way to the 55-point win.,
The Griffon defense continues to stifle opponents, allowing just 27 touchdowns this season. Nebraska-Kearney was the second opponent Missouri Western has shutout this season. The defense ranks third in the MIAA, holding opposing offenses to just 15.8 points per game and third in total defense, allowing 321.9 yards per contest. That defense could come in handy Saturday. Missouri Southern boasts the MIAA’s top rushing offense at 279 yards per game. Expect a heavy dose of rushing from Missouri Southern. The Lions have attempted just 105 passes this season and their 110 yards passing per game put them at the bottom of the MIAA.
Kansas State women’s head basketball coach Jeff Mittie announced the signing of three players to National Letters of Intent during the Fall National Signing period on Wednesday.
The three new additions to the K-State roster for the 2015-16 season are guards Kayla Goth and Anna Hammaker, and center Cheyenne Hooper. Hammaker and Hooper are joining the Wildcats after teaming up at Christian Academy of Knoxville, Tennessee.
“We were wanted to add length and versatility in this class,” said Mittie about his new additions for next season. “We were able to sign three players that add that capability with the skill level that we need in the Big 12.”
Goth, a 6-foot guard from DeForest, Wisconsin, enters her senior season at DeForest High with career totals of 1,007 points, 560 rebounds, and 285 assists.
Hammaker is a 5’9 guard, and the daughter of former Kansas City Royals pitcher Atlee Hammaker. She helped lead Christian Academy to the Class AA state sections with averages of 18.3 points, 5.1 steals, and 4.9 assists.
Hooper is a 6’6 center from Knoxville, Tennesse, who will be tied as the tallest player in program history with former K-State letter winner Olga Firsova ( 1998-00 ). She is returning to basketball for her senior season after a year away from the sport to focus on volleyball.
Prior to her departure from basketball, Hooper helped Christian Academy to a 24-8 record in her sophomore season and District, regional, and sectional titles.
Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber has announced the signings of high school standouts Barry Brown ( St. Petersburg, Fla. / Gibbs ), Dean Wade ( Saint John, Kan./Saint John ), and dante Williams ( Arlington, Texas / Bowie ) on the first day of the Fall National Signing Period on Wednesday.
Brown is a combo guard, Wade a power forward, and Williams a center.
Brown averaged 20.5 points on 51.3% shooting including 37.6% from 3-point range, to go with 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 2.9 assists per game as a high school junior in 2013-14.
Wade is a 6’8 215 pound forward for Saint John. He enters his senior season of high school with 1,103 points and 202 blocks. Wade helped Saint John to a 26-0 record enroute to the 2014 Class 2A state title at Bramlage Coliseum. He tallied 20 or more points in 14 contests, despite averaging just 18 and a half minutes per game because Saint John’s won its games by an average of 30 points.
Williams is a 6’11, 220 center. He has been rated the No. 16 player in Texas for the Class of 2015 by TexasHoops.com. He helped Bowie High School to a 28-6 record in 2013-14. He was named the Class 3-A Defensive player of the Year.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas women’s basketball head coach Bonnie Henrickson announced the signing of four individuals to the 2015 signing class, which has been ranked as the No. 19 recruiting class in the nation by ESPN’s Hoopgurlz. Jayde Christopher, Tyler Johnson, Kylee Kopatich and Aisia Robertson have all signed valid National Letters of Intent (NLI) to play for the for Jayhawks.
“The class being ranked high is a product of where they are each are ranked individually and should give them confidence,” said Henrickson. “I think all four of those young ladies understand and are mature enough to realize that it’s like preseason polls and it’s about coming here and being able to produce. I am more impressed by the competitiveness and basketball IQ of this group than I am with how they are ranked.”
The No. 19-ranked 2015 signing class hails from near and far as half of the incoming class are from the Sunflower State (Johnson and Kopatich), while the other two are headed to Lawrence via the West Coast (Christopher and Robertson). ProspectionNation also has Kansas’ recruiting class ranked in the top 20 in the country and has the Jayhawks selected as the 20th-best signing class. Henrickson signed three recruits that are ranked in ESPN’s top 100 and three from ProspectNation’s 150 Elite.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – A food safety manager said dirty conditions and poor food handling endangered customers at Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums in Kansas City. A city health inspection prompted by the allegations found dozens of critical health code violations at the stadiums.
