In 36 years, Denny Thum worked for only one organization, the Kansas City Chiefs. In 1974 he graduated from KC-based Rockhurst College and took a job as an accountant with the team. Rising through the franchise ranks, Thum was named Chief Operating Officer in May 2006, interim team president in December 2008 and team president in May 2009.

(Clockwise from left: Denny Thum, Clark Hunt, Scott Pioli)

Then, two weeks ago, after the club’s biggest win in years in a gleaming, newly-renovated Arrowhead Stadium, Thum abruptly, and quietly, resigned.

Former longtime Chiefs beat writer Rick Gosselin wrote a most appropriate obit of Thum’s decorated tenure with the team in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS:

The Kansas City Chiefs dumped club president Denny Thum unceremoniously this month after a 36-year stay with the team. I covered the Chiefs from 1977-89, and Thum taught me the financial side of the NFL. He was the best contract negotiator I’ve ever seen. He also was a loyal employee to Hall of Fame owner Lamar Hunt through good times and bad.

But Thum’s problem was he was inherited by a new owner (Clark Hunt), new general manager (Scott Pioli) and new chief operating officer (Mark Donovan). So the new wave ushered him to the door. Thum deserved better treatment.

The Chiefs have no idea right now how much they are going to miss his expertise in so many areas. Thum won’t be out of work long.

The timing of Thum’s departure, though strange on the surface, actually makes sense once you dig into the details of the Chiefs’ office politics. Read more…

So far this season the performance of the Kansas football team has been impossible to figure out.

The Jayhawks were embarrassed in their home opener, losing 6-3 to North Dakota State. The next week they upset 15th-ranked Georgia Tech 28-25 but then followed with a disorganized, nationally-televised 31-16 loss to Southern Mississippi.

In the team’s latest defeat against the Southern Miss, the Jayhawks were a disaster on offense because of communication problems between sideline play-callers and quarterback Jordan Webb.

J. Brady McCollough of the KANSAS CITY STAR noted of the game:

When KU got the ball in the final minutes trailing 31-16, it had no timeouts to aid a comeback attempt. In general, the Jayhawks didn’t play with the same fast pace they used in the win over Georgia Tech because the coaches, sideline signal givers and players couldn’t carry the same tune.

Ironic when you consider the seemingly draconian - at least by today’s standards - measures Gill has taken all season to promote interaction between team members before games.

Jesse Newell of the LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD reports today that Gill has banned players from not only using cellphones on game days, but the day before kickoff . When the team plays on a Saturday, players turn in their phones to KU coaches on Friday morning. They get them back after the game.

Then there’s Gill’s encroachment into the social lives of Jayhawk players. Read more…

Tuesday Thayer Evans of FOXSports.com reported that University of Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins resigned from his post effective immediately. The school later confirmed Evans’ report, framing Perkins’ ouster as a “retirement.”

In the past year, Kansas school officials have uncovered astounding corruption in Perkins’ KU athletic department regarding the misuse of game tickets. (The FBI is still investigating.) Perkins was not implicated by the school itself in that scandal, which reportedly cost the school up to $3 million in lost ticket revenue, but Perkins was still facing an ethics investigation into his own handling of state funds.

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission is scheduled to meet on Sept. 21 to explore conflict-of-interest issues pertaining to state employees. The commission was expected to soon examine the issue of Perkins accepting a “personal loan” of $15,000 in exercise equipment from a Kansas Athletics vendor - who has confirmed the transaction - in exchange for better seats to Kansas basketball games.

Kansas law states that “no person subject to the provisions of this section shall solicit or accept any gift, economic opportunity, loan, gratuity, special discount or service provided because of such person’s official position.”

Violation of the law is grounds for dismissal and a $5,000 fine.

With the commission’s next meeting just two weeks away, perhaps today’s “retirement” announcement was related to the prospect of more Perkins-related bad publicity for the school.

While a source didn’t confirm that connection, I was given some additional insight into the impetus of the effective dismissal of Perkins. Read more…

Doug Tucker of the ASSOCIATED PRESS has details on the action the University of Kansas is taking to try to save the Big 12 conference.

(Tom Osborne Holds Key To Future Of Big 12 Conference)

Recognizing the defection of Nebraska to the Big 10 could create a mass exodus of Big 12 schools to the Pac-10, Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little called Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman today to “urge” her counterpart to keep the school in the Big 12.

Gray-Little said she planned to call Missouri chancellor Brady J. Deaton “with the same message.”

Read more…

Lee Barfknecht of the OMAHA WORLD-HERALD reported yesterday, “two Big 12 sources confirmed to The World-Herald that last week Nebraska and Missouri were given a drop-dead date — this Friday afternoon — to commit to the Big 12. Nebraska, with a Board of Regents meeting this weekend, asked for a delay into the week of June 14-18.”

(Lew/KU’s Conference To Sleep With The Fishes?)

Nebraska’s decision on conference affiliation reportedly could trigger six schools bolting from the Big 12 to the Pac-10. Those half-dozen schools reportedly don’t include Kansas.

If you want to take the temperature of Kansans on that matter, Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Kevin Haskin provides a significant sample today:

Calling all politicians.

Pat Roberts, Sam Brownback, Kathleen Sebelius, Mark Parkinson … anyone with any connections whatsoever. Be it a regent, congressman, mayor, board chairman, entertainer or evangelist.

The time is now to get involved on behalf of Kansas and Kansas State.

Find a phone number or address for Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman and rehearse a persuasive plea.

PLEEEESE! Do not abandon longtime partners you’ve competed against, and cajoled with, since helmets were made of leather.

While the dynamics of conference realignment are all about football, the shaky future of the Big 12 is more than just an athletics matter for KU and K-State.

If the Wildcats and Jayhawks are no longer competing in the big-time — repeat, rinse, repeat: B-C-S — virtually anything at K-State and KU could be affected. Adversely.

Both would still strive to be exemplary universities, retain great faculty, conduct breakthrough research and graduate sharp, promising professionals.

But enrollment could decline, perhaps significantly. Without as much sports exposure — be it daily on ESPN updates or over the course of a team schedule through television opportunities — the universities lose invaluable branding.

Embattled Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins strikes a similar tone on the subject:

“The most important thing for the University of Kansas and for college athletics is expansion. That’s it.

“If I said I wasn’t worried, I’d be a fool. I am worried every day — not only about Kansas and the Big 12, but for the Pac-10, the Big Ten. … This is serious, serious, serious stuff. I am concerned.”

Then there’s the most powerful man in Kansas, Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self: Read more…

Former Kansas Jayhawks hoops star and devout christian Wayne Simien takes the KANSAS CITY STAR’s J. Brady McCollough through his life of temptation, which most prominently involved the appropriately-named Miami Heat.

Wayne Simien’s first team meeting with the Miami Heat, which drafted him in the first round in 2005 with the 29th overall pick, gave him a pretty good indication of what life would be like in the NBA.

“I remember walking in,” says Simien, a 6-foot-9 power forward. “They were like ‘This dude’s a Christian. Give him two weeks until he’s on South Beach in a strip club with me, give him such and such amount of time until he meets Suzie in LA and does yada yada yada.’ They were taking bets on me, basically, cash-money bets right in front of me as far as how long it would take for me to have a hiccup or whatever.”

Apparently those were desperate times for Simien, who felt so threatened by his teammates that he would fly in his pastor for road trips.

Read more…

Female Kansas Jayhawks fan tattoo:

Now for the only thing Jayhawk-related I’d want permanently in my life: Read more…

When several media outlets yesterday exposed Stanford Football Coach Jim Harbaugh’s interest in becoming the head football coach at Kansas, I had the same reaction we’ve all had to the sad cast of bimbos (allegedly) procured by Tiger Woods.

(Both now out of their Tree)

Okay, maybe that’s an unfair comparison considering Harbaugh’s confirmed interest in the Jayhawks would’ve been a lateral move at best, while Woods’ (alleged) conquests are akin to Harbaugh taking the UAB job. (Whoops, gave Jimbo an idea.)

Yesterday with several, credible Kansas City media outlets reporting that Harbaugh was strongly considering taking the Jayhawks job, the Stanford coach was suddenly unable to be reached by any media outlet. Likewise Stanford Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, who two days earlier was machine-gunning denials to reporters when Harbaugh’s name popped up for the Notre Dame job.

Today Harbaugh emerged from his press embargo to proclaim his undying allegiance to Stanford and scold media members who had the audacity to report the truth.

“Though the rumor mill has been running full gear, my resolve and future proudly remains as head coach at Stanford University. The reports of the last 24 hours are untrue, though I respect the University of Kansas and athletic director Lew Perkins. I trust this puts an end to these rumors and reports, allowing the focus of fans and the media to shine a bright spotlight on Toby Gerhart today. I love Toby and our players and coaches at Stanford, and as Toby told reporters, I am a Stanford man.”

Harbaugh is a “proud Stanford man”? That must explain why he waited a full 24 hours to shoot down a  torrent of reports that his KU hire was imminent. As for Harbaugh’s availability Friday night, Bowlsby told Jon Wilner of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS that, “he said he was traveling until late last night and couldn’t respond to my questions.”

So not only did Harbaugh not make clear his intentions to the media, but he blew off the Stanford athletic director who was also left to twist in the wind! Read more…

KCSP-AM in Kansas City is reporting that Jim Harbaugh has been offered the Kansas football coaching job and will accept it as soon as tomorrow.

2 Sources have told 610 Sports Radio that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh will fly to Lawrence following Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Ceremony to accept the deal to be the new Kansas Head Coach. He’s expected to have an annual salary of $2.7 million a year. In a statement, KU Athletic Director Lew Perkins said that the process is “ongoing” and “We have not offered the Head Coaching position to anyone.“

Kansas City ABC-TV affiliate KMBC is also reporting that Harbaugh has been offered the job. Read more…

Mark Mangino “resigned” yesterday in disgrace, having been throw out by Kansas officials after players came forward with tales of physical and verbal abuse.

(Hear Kipp talk about Mangino here)

Until this week, players had not provided physical evidence of Mangino’s behavior. That changed two days ago, when the LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD published the story of former Kansas starting nose tackle Cory Kipp. Read more…