Defying coach's plea, KU students chant

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -Thousands of Kansas students ignored coach Mark Mangino's plea and went ahead with a profane chant when No. 16 Kansas kicked off against Colorado on Saturday.

As the chant resonated across Memorial Stadium, alumni and other fans booed.

The chant was first heard at Kansas in 2003 and has brought complaints from university officials and fans who say it's an embarrassment. Taking their cue from an Adam Sandler movie, the students yell, "Rip his head off" - with an expletive tossed in - every time their team kicks off.

Mangino, who is popular and was the national coach of the year last season, sent a video via e-mail to students Thursday afternoon. It was shown on the video board at Memorial Stadium shortly before kickoff.

"Do us a favor," Mangino said in the video. "Let's cut out that kickoff chant."

The alumni cheered the video.

But when Kansas kicked off for the first time midway through the second quarter, students yelled the chant, anyway, and the alumni section began booing loudly.

"It's a difficult situation," linebacker Mike Rivera said. "We love our fans. That's a great thing that they're doing something together, but there's some negative things with the younger kids there and the families and hearing it on TV. It's not necessarily representing our university that well."

Senior linebacker Joe Mortensen said the chant serves as motivation.

"When I try to hit people," Mortensen said, "that's what I try to do."