On-campus brawls, internal investigations, five-star recruiting and a student tragedy may come to define this year in news at the University. The incidents, each filled with controversy and plenty of heated opinion, topped the charts of Kansan.com for 2009.

Of more than 3 million page views, these five stories gained the most attention from the paper’s online followers. Together, they help paint a portrait of a whirlwind year at the University of Kansas.

Top Five Most-Viewed Stories on Kansan.com

1. Basketball and football players scuffle outside Wescoe Hall

Wednesday, Sept. 23

54,523 page views.

The brawl between KU basketball and football players Sept. 23 grabbed the attention of Jayhawk Nation and beyond.

The fight broke out the morning of Sept. 23 as groups of football and basketball players were seen gathered between Wescoe and Budig Halls. According to eyewitness accounts, the fight broke out after one of the Morris twins pushed a football player down a set of stairs. Players from both teams were seen throwing punches and shouting racial slurs before the fight was broken up. Assistant basketball coaches and police officers were on the scene within 10 minutes.

Katie Summers, Tulsa junior, was walking on campus and found herself surrounded by football and basketball players yelling at one another. She said she had no idea the incident she witnessed would immediately become the focus of national sporting news.

“I thought it was unusual but I had no idea it was going to be as big as it was,” Summers said. “I think it’s something that people are going to remember because of how unique it was to have a Division I school with its athletes turning against each other.”

ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and several national news providers covered the fights and used footage and information gathered by The Kansan.

2. Investigation not a surprise to many Jayhawks

Tuesday, Nov. 17

7,944 page views

Following an impromptu team meeting and a private discussion between Lew Perkins and Mark Mangino, KU Athletics announced Nov. 17 that it had begun an internal investigation regarding alleged abuses by Coach Mark Mangino.

On the day of the announcement, former players spoke out to voice personal experiences with Mangino. Marcus Herford, a former receiver for Mangino, and Dexton Fields, who played for the Jayhawks from 2004 until 2008, both commented on the verbal abuse they and their teammates received while playing under Mangino.

“It’s been a long time that that stuff has been happening and it had to surface,” Fields was quoted as saying in the story. “Of all the talent that KU has there, it had to be some other reason that KU isn’t producing out on the field. It’s been long overdue.”

The Jayhawks went on to end the season with a seven-game losing streak and Mangino’s resignation. Now a search for a new coach is underway. Athletics officials have so far released no information regarding the results of the investigation.

3. Students, teams react to fights

Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009

7,679 page views

Students, athletes and community members spent the 24 hours following the on-campus brawl of Sept. 23 questioning the cause of the violent outbreaks between members of the programs.

Students and community members voiced concerns about potential punishments for the students involved, how the incidents would affect recruitment, and who or what the fights were about.

Rex Porter, owner and barber at Rex’s Stadium Barber Shop, 1033 Massachusetts St., speaks with students, community members and KU administration on a regular basis in his shop. He said although the incidents received a high level of attention at the time, the football team’s losing streak and the investigation of Coach Mangio had taken the focus elsewhere.

“We lost 7 games after that episode and never heard anything else about it,” Porter said “There’s been too many other things to worry about this season.”

No further incidents have been reported since Sept. 23 and KU Athletics has kept any punishment of the players private.

4. Nearly 1,000 attend Jason Wren’s funeral

Monday, March 16

6,024 page views

The death of Jason Wren, a 19-year-old Denver freshman, rocked the KU community in March 2009.

Wren was found dead at Sigma Alpha Epsilon, 1301 West Campus Rd., the afternoon of March 8. A later report showed Wren had more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood at the time of his death.

Almost 1,000 people gathered to mourn the death at his Denver funeral March 16.

George Ressler, St. Louis senior and president of the KU Lacrosse Club, knew Wren as both a teammate and a friend. He said the tragedy had changed the team’s attitude toward recreation and instilled a new sense of purpose in the organization. But he said the effect of Wren’s death had spread further than those who personally knew him.

“I think it was a rude awakening of the lifestyles that organizations promote for students to take part in,” Ressler said. “It brought to attention to things that every student knows but doesn’t want to address. Losing Jason just pushed everything over the edge.”

Wren’s death ignited a movement for increased alcohol awareness on the KU campus. In May, the University made changes to its alcohol policies, including notifying parents when underage students are caught using drugs or violating alcohol policies in residence halls.

5. Kansas might lose its prom date

Wednesday, April 22

3,903 page views

Shockwaves rippled through Jayhawk Nation when freshman phenom Xavier Henry and his brother C.J. announced they would be visiting the University of Kentucky in late April.

The announcement was the latest in a series of closely observed decisions by Xavier Henry.

The brothers had committed to play at the University of Memphis until their head coach, John Calipari, resigned to become the head coach for the University of Kentucky, allowing Xavier and C.J. to cancel their commitment. Jayhawk fans were certain the brothers, whose parents both played basketball at the University, would be coming to play for Kansas. But on April 20, the brothers announced they would be visiting the University of Kentucky.

Brent Blazek, Lenexa senior, remembers following the news of the Henry’s recruitment. He said it was one of the most exciting recruitment battles he could remember.

“This was a huge deal because of the caliber player that Xavier is,” Blazek said. “I think we would still be ranked first without him, but he definitely helps in our run for the National Championship.”

Fortunately for Jayhawk fans, the Henry brothers committed to Kansas the following day and never actually visited Kentucky. Xavier was the Jayhawks’ leading scorer for the first seven games of the season, averaging nearly 17 points per game.

— Edited by Sarah Kelly