RCW: Taking Kansas football on the road
There’s more to a football road trip than showing up and taking on an opponent in a hostile environment. This week Kansas photographer Jeff Jacobsen took a behind-the-scenes look at the tremendous effort it takes to move the Jayhawks’ football operations.
Kansas football’s equipment manager Jeff Himes entrusts his livelihood each week of a road game to two men and a 60,000-pound tractor-trailer. Around 6 p.m., each Thursday evening Cliff Churchill and Dean Matthews sit in the cab of the idling truck waiting for the final whistles to blow from practice so they can depart on their journey.
Churchill and Matthews have pulled Kansas football’s equipment behind them for over 20 years. They’ve never been late for a game, nor have they had any major issues while being the key cog in making sure the game is played as scheduled. The two men – Churchill in his late 60’s and Matthews pushing 80 – have driven the equivalent of around the world for KU football.
Walking into the back of the trailer is like taking the first steps inside of a hoarder’s house. The same way someone who hoards has an organization to their collection, the back of the interior of the trailer is specifically arranged with each piece of equipment holding a distinct place.
All the way at the front of the 72-foot-long custom-built trailer are cubbies full of every essential item a coach or player could need: cleats, jerseys – a spare jersey – shirts, pants, coats and rain shoes, knee pads, thigh pads and hip pads.
As you creep farther back down the center aisle of the trailer it seems every member of the Kansas football staff has an item loaded onto the truck for transport: the medical staff’s hundreds of pounds of Gatorade, a folded-up training table, coolers, a stationary bike, Tupperware full of mouth pieces, gauze and tape, folding stools, radio equipment for the Jayhawk IMG Sports Network and even Time Warner Cable’s television backdrop for interviews.
After the whistle sounds ending Thursday’s practice, Himes and his staff of student managers scramble to pack the last pieces of equipment away onto the trailer. Each player is only issued one pair of shoulder pads and one set of braces.
When the final racks of shoulder pads and bins of braces are loaded into the rear of the custom-decaled Kansas football trailer, the doors close, a pad lock is cinched shut and Churchill and Matthews set off under the veil of darkness toward Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Thursday, October 27, 2016, 5:53 p.m. – While many preparations for a KU football road trip have been completed throughout the week, the road trip doesn’t truly begin until after the team’s Thursday practice. Student managers, such as Ryley Sullivan, immediately begin to gather the shoulder pads of every player traveling and check them in with student manager Jack Gaughan.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:55 p.m. – Student manager Mitch Browning worked his way through the confines of the football equipment room with pads for loading.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:57 p.m. – Browning loaded pads onto specially-designed carts for loading onto the KU truck.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:00 p.m. – With the individual players’ game equipment bags already loaded, offense in blue bags and defense in red, Gaughan and student manager Todd Middleton wheeled the first set of shoulder pads onto the truck.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:01 p.m. – Football facilities supervisor Jason Ramirez secured the first set of pads while manager Zach Duran pulled the last cart onto the truck.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:04 p.m. – Defensive coordinator Clint Bowen dropped down from the truck after wishing drivers Cliff Churchill and Dean Matthews a safe trip to Norman, Oklahoma.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:08 p.m. – The KU rig pulled away from the Anderson Family Football Complex.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:38 p.m. – With Churchill behind the wheel and Matthews beside him, the KU truck headed south as the sun set in colorful fashion.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:53 p.m. – The KU helmet on the side of the trailer let everyone know KU football was now on the road.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
7:23 p.m. – The KU truck shined in the night as the drivers stopped for dinner at a truck stop at BETO Junction.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
7:44 p.m. – Churchill and Matthews enjoyed a hearty breakfast for their dinner before hitting the road again.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
Friday, October 28, 2016, 1:15 a.m. – With Matthews at the wheel, Churchill helped direct the rig into the tight loading dock at Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:17 a.m. – With the truck safely parked for the night, Matthews and Churchill discussed plans for the unloading the of truck scheduled for later in the day before riding to the team hotel for some sleep.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
11:58 a.m. – Matthews and Randy Richardson, the inventor of the widely copied shoulder pad cart, began the unloading process.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:02 p.m. – Richardson, Matthews and Greg Simmons pushed the carts into Memorial Stadium.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:03 p.m. – Only the individual equipment cart could squeeze through the visiting team’s narrow doorway.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:09 p.m. – Churchill began to drop off players’ bags at their lockers.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:22 p.m. – Oklahoma made sure the visitors knew about the Sooners’ storied history with National Championship facts and photographs of their Heisman Trophy winners prominently displayed in the locker room.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:47 p.m. – Paper was soon taped to the wall to cover all the records and photographs.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:01 p.m. – Football Equipment Manager Jeff Himes sorted out the coaches’ locker room.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:08 p.m. – Ramirez, Churchill and Matthews gathered last-minute equipment needs.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
Saturday, October 29, 2016, 12:18 p.m. – Churchill checked on the arrival time of the bus bringing the student managers and student trainers to the stadium.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:26 p.m. – The student managers immediately began hauling the sideline equipment to the entrance of Memorial Stadium’s Owen Field.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:28 p.m. – Student trainers Ali Ghaisarnia, Chase Taylor and Alexis Cox wheeled the Gatorade buckets to the ice room.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:35 p.m. – Duran and student manager Holt McKenney pulled jerseys over shoulder pads.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:53 p.m. – Managers polished each helmet.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
12:56 p.m. – A row of helmets and uniforms awaited the arrival of the KU players.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:01 p.m. – Student trainers Kaitlyn Jackman, Stephe Rusnak and Haley Catron made sure everything was neatly prepared for the taping of the players’ ankles.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:06 p.m. – Student trainer Andrew Vereen, Catron and Jackman prepared the players’ mouth guards.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:09 p.m. – Waiting for the appointed time to set up the field equipment, the managers had a chance to relax while looking over the Oklahoma media guide.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:16 p.m. – Bottle after bottle of Gatorade was dumped into coolers.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:33 p.m. – Student trainers Catron, Taylor, Jackman and Rusnak filled the coolers with ice.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:46 p.m. – Student managers Duran and McKenney pushed the coaches’ communication equipment onto the field.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
1:57 p.m. – Student manager Mackenzie Daniels had a photograph taken of her on Owen Field.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
2:27 p.m. – Matthews found free time after the setup to work on the Driver’s Daily Log.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
2:52 p.m. – Student managers Browning, Joe Mikesic, Mason DeArvil, Scott Cowen and Daniels enjoyed a quick lunch.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
4:01 p.m. – As soon as the team buses arrived, student trainers quickly pulled off the final medical supplies that were brought on the team charter.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
v
4:26 p.m. – DeArvil was one of three student managers that fielded punts during warmups.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
v
4:58 p.m. – Cornerback Marnez Ogletree got help with his helmet from student manager Daniels.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:03 p.m. – Richardson and Ramirez watched the receivers touch the Jayhawk that makes every road trip outside of the locker room.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:34 p.m. – Student managers Gaughan and Taylor Billings tossed footballs to the quarterbacks to simulate snaps for offensive passing practice.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:37 p.m. – Gaughan raced in to place a ball for an offensive snap.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:39 p.m. – Cowen and Billings smiled after the warmup session concluded.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
5:41 p.m. – McKenney and Mikesic proudly shook hands after the warmup.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:05 p.m. – McKenney handed head coach David Beaty his headset before the game.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
6:58 p.m. – Rusnak and Jackman made sure water was handy during a timeout.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:30 p.m. – Taylor began the reloading of the trailer after the game concluded.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:38 p.m. – McKenney pulled a stationary bicycle off the field.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:40 p.m. – McKenney and Cowan wrangled the bicycle into its spot on the trailer.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:48 p.m. – Shoulder pads were quickly reloaded onto storage carts.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:50 p.m. – Gaughan sorted equipment and dirty uniforms in the locker room.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:55 p.m. – With speed-loading a priority, Ramirez grabbed bags from anyone that entered the trailer.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
9:57 p.m. – What once went down ramps with ease meant that Daniels had to muscle up to get the gear back to the trailer.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
10:05 p.m. – Moving the storage carts through the family and friends of the KU players took careful negotiating.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
10:09 p.m. – Churchill walked through the trailer to make sure all but the last pieces of equipment were stored properly.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
10:15 p.m. – Churchill and Matthews waited for the radio crew to bring the final gear for the trip back to Lawrence.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
10:17 p.m. – The radio crew arrived with their gear to finish the loading.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
10:23 p.m. – The KU rig pulled away from the stadium even before the team buses left for the airport.
Photo by Jeff Jacobsen
