Jayhawkers (film)

2014 American film

Jayhawkers

Film poster

Directed by| Kevin Willmott
Written by| Scott Richardson
Kevin Willmott
Produced by| Chris Blunk
Scott Richardson
J.S. Hampton
Starring| Kip Niven
Justin Wesley
Blake Robbins
Trai Byers
Jay Karnes
Cinematography| Matt Jacobson
Jeremy Osbern
Edited by| Stephen Deaver

Production
companies

Audax Films
Through A Glass Productions

Release date

* March 7, 2014 (2014-03-07)[1]

Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $2 million

Jayhawkers is a 2014 American sports drama/biographical film directed by Kevin Willmott, following the life of Wilt Chamberlain, Phog Allen, and the 1956–57 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. Former Kansas basketball player Scot Pollard portrays B. H. Born in the film.

## Synopsis

[edit]

The film, which was shot entirely in black and white, depicts Kansas basketball coach Phog Allen's recruitment of Wilt Chamberlain, the dedication of Allen Fieldhouse, and Allen's forced retirement. The film also follows Chamberlain's adjustment to life in Lawrence and his battle to help end segregation in the city, as well as the racism he experienced traveling for road games. The film depicts the Jayhawks triple overtime loss in the 1957 National Championship Game to North Carolina.[2]

## Cast

[edit]

* Kip Niven – Forrest "Phog" Allen
* Justin Wesley – Wilt Chamberlain
* Blake Robbins – Dick Harp
* Jay Karnes – Chancellor Franklin Murphy
* Trai Byers – Nathan Davis
* Joseph Lee Anderson – Maurice King
* Walter Coppage – Langston Hughes

Additionally, former Kansas basketball player Scot Pollard makes a brief appearance as fellow former Kansas basketball player B. H. Born.

## Production

[edit]

A portion of the budget was raised through the crowd-funding site Kickstarter, with over $54,000 raised.[3] Shot in Lawrence, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas, and Leavenworth, Kansas,[4] the film stars then-current Kansas Basketball player Justin Wesley as Chamberlain.[5] The 6-foot-9 forward was recommended for the role by KU coach Bill Self to Willmott.[6]

A teaser trailer was shown at Late Night in the Phog 2012,[7] The film premiered in Lawrence, Kansas, on February 14, 2014, and made its public debut on February 28, 2014 at Liberty Hall near the University of Kansas campus.[8]

Willmott, a film professor at the University of Kansas, cast multiple alumni of the school in the film, including Kip Niven, Jay Karnes, Trai Byers, and former basketball players Scot Pollard and Justin Wesley.

## Reception

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Ben Sachs of The Chicago Reader said he “admired Willmott’s skill in executing the basketball sequences, which illustrate more vividly than in most sports movies how athletics can become an outlet for personal and professional anxieties.” [9] Loey Lockerby of The Kansas City Star wrote, “Willmott offers a creative and intriguing look at Lawrence in the 1950s.”

In 2020, The New Yorker critic Richard Brody wrote an article revisiting the film, praising it as “an exemplary, even thrilling, historical drama." Brody said, "All of the subjects woven into the drama are treated substantially and considered in detail — especially the politics of race and of the nascent, and widely resisted, civil-rights movement.”[10]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "'Jayhawkers' Depicts Wilt Chamberlain's Lasting Effect On KU And Lawrence, KS". www.kmuw.org. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
2. ^ "Synopsis - Jayhawkers - Movie (2014)". jayhawkersmovie.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
3. ^ ""Jayhawkers" - Feature Film by Kevin Willmott -- Kickstarter". kickstarter.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
4. ^ Gutierrez, Lisa (February 8, 2014). "'Jayhawkers' to tell Wilt Chamberlain's KU story in film". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
5. ^ Bush, Ann Marie (August 29, 2012). "Crew films portion of 'Jayhawkers' in Topeka". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
6. ^ Pocowatchit, Rod (March 7, 2014). "'Jayhawkers' movie tells Wilt Chamberlain's story". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
7. ^ "YouTube - Late Night in the Phog 2012. - Jayhawkers Movie Trailer". youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
8. ^ "JAYHAWKERS -- Liberty Hall". libertyhall.net. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
9. ^ Sachs, Ben (July 31, 2014). "'Jayhawkers' review". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
10. ^ Brody, Richard (July 17, 2020). "'Jayhawkers,' a Thrillingly Analytical Drama of Wilt Chamberlain's College Years". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 6, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Jayhawkers at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Kevin Willmott

* Ninth Street (1999)
* C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2004)
* Bunker Hill (2008)
* The Only Good Indian (2009)
* Jayhawkers (2013)
* The 24th (2020)

* v
* t
* e

Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball

Venues|

* Robinson Gymnasium (1907–1927)
* Hoch Auditorium (1927–1955)
* Allen Fieldhouse (1955–present)

Rivalries|

* Kansas State
* Missouri

Culture & lore|

* Big Jay
* Baby Jay
* Blue blood status
* Champions Classic
* "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk"
* Jayhawkers

People|

* Head coaches
* NBA players
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* List of seasons
* 1898–99
* 1899–1900
* 1900–01
* 1901–02
* 1902–03
* 1903–04
* 1904–05
* 1905–06
* 1906–07
* 1907–08
* 1908–09
* 1909–10
* 1910–11
* 1911–12
* 1912–13
* 1913–14
* 1914–15
* 1915–16
* 1916–17
* 1917–18
* 1918–19
* 1919–20
* 1920–21
* 1921–22
* 1922–23
* 1923–24
* 1924–25
* 1925–26
* 1926–27
* 1927–28
* 1928–29
* 1929–30
* 1930–31
* 1931–32
* 1932–33
* 1933–34
* 1934–35
* 1935–36
* 1936–37
* 1937–38
* 1938–39
* 1939–40
* 1940–41
* 1941–42
* 1942–43
* 1943–44
* 1944–45
* 1945–46
* 1946–47
* 1947–48
* 1948–49
* 1949–50
* 1950–51
* 1951–52
* 1952–53
* 1953–54
* 1954–55
* 1955–56
* 1956–57
* 1957–58
* 1958–59
* 1959–60
* 1960–61
* 1961–62
* 1962–63
* 1963–64
* 1964–65
* 1965–66
* 1966–67
* 1967–68
* 1968–69
* 1969–70
* 1970–71
* 1971–72
* 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76
* 1976–77
* 1977–78
* 1978–79
* 1979–80
* 1980–81
* 1981–82
* 1982–83
* 1983–84
* 1984–85
* 1985–86
* 1986–87
* 1987–88
* 1988–89
* 1989–90
* 1990–91
* 1991–92
* 1992–93
* 1993–94
* 1994–95
* 1995–96
* 1996–97
* 1997–98
* 1998–99
* 1999–2000
* 2000–01
* 2001–02
* 2002–03
* 2003–04
* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25

Helms and NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

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