Hall of Fame KU golf coach Randall passes away

Randall led the Jayhawks for 28 years.LAWRENCE, Kan. – Former Kansas men’s golf coach Ross Randall, who guided the Jayhawks for 28 years, passed away Friday night.
 
“This is a sad day for KU Athletics and the men’s golf program,” head coach Jamie Bermel said.  “Ross Randall meant a lot to the program and to the hundreds of players he coached.  Ross and Linda didn’t have any children of their own, but they had many golfers who they cared for and mentored while at KU and after graduation.  
 
“I coached against Ross for many years and I always remember him as a very good coach, and even better person.  He had a great feel for the game and a great feel for his players.  He loved KU and loved representing this university.  My condolences go out to Linda and all the former players who Ross coached in his time at Kansas.”
 
Kansas Athletics Director Sheahon Zenger reinforced Bermel’s sentiments.
 
“Kansas Athletics has lost one of its all-time greats,” said Zenger. “For 30 years, Coach Randall gave himself to the KU men’s golf team and achieved great success. Beyond his NCAA Championship and NCAA Regional appearances, his legacy will be left with his many connections with former student-athletes and the Kansas golfing community.”
 
Coming to KU in 1979, he was an institution on campus for three decades.  Randall guided seven KU teams to the NCAA Championships and 19 to NCAA Regionals. His 1989 squad was the first Kansas team to reach the NCAA Finals in 32 years, and his 1996 team advanced to the final two rounds of the NCAA Championships, the second-best finish in Kansas history.
 
Randall coached five All-Americans during his tenure with the Jayhawks, including three two-time All-American selections: Chris Thompson, Ryan Vermeer and Chris Marshall. He also helped develop 27 all-conference selections including 2007 graduate Gary Woodland, who is competing on the PGA Tour.
 
In 1999 he took the fifth-seeded Jayhawks into the Big 12 Conference Championship and captured the program’s first league title in 49 years. For his efforts that season, Randall was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year.

In May 2007, Randall became KU’s Director of Golf Operations until he retired in June 2009. He was inducted into the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame in 2014 by the Kansas Golf Foundation.
     
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