1980s-1990s

Ron Neugent, 1980

Ron Neugent, an avid swimmer, transferred to KU from Southern Methodist University around 1981. During his time at KU, Neugent set five school and two Big Eight records, as well as won two Big Eight individual titles. Neugent was a member of the 1980 Olympic team though he never got a chance to compete. Due to the Soviet Afghan war, the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow. Neugent’s peers commented that he handled the upset with grace and remained humble about the situation. The 1980 Olympics were boycotted by 66 nations including the US. Because of this, only 80 nations were represented, which was the smallest number since 1956. Neugent then had a second chance to compete in the 1984 Olympics though he did not pass the trials.  40 years after the 1980 Olympic boycott, Neugent sympathized with the 2020 Olympic teams when the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the scheduled dates.

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Lynette Woodard, 1980 & 1984

Lynette Woodard was a member of the KU Women’s Basketball Team from 1978 to 1981. Throughout her career, Woodard played for many teams and gained many honors and awards. Woodard became the first Harlem Globetrotter, was a four-time Kodak All-American, was inducted to multiple Hall of Fames, and held the collegiate women’s basketball scoring record from 1981-2024 with 3,649 career points. Woodard, an esteemed player, earned her ticket onto the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Unfortunately, due to the U.S. boycott of the Soviet Afghan war, Woodard was not able to compete. However, Woodard would get a second chance during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California where she was the captain of the gold medal winning team. In response to the US boycott of the 1980 Olympics, fourteen nations, including the Soviet Union, boycotted the 1984 Olympics.

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Danny Manning, 1988

Danny Manning is well known throughout the Lawrence area. Following in his father’s footsteps, Manning pursued a lifelong career in basketball. His career has been filled with many accomplishments including multiple players of the year awards, being drafted into the NBA, playing on the 1988 US Olympic team in Seoul and much more. Manning was one of the greatest players in the history of KU. By the time of his departure, he became the school’s all-time lead scorer with 2,951 points and had his jersey retired. In his senior year, Manning was chosen to play on the last all-collegiate US national basketball team in the 1988 Olympics. Competing against all-professional teams, the US all-collegiate team brought home a bronze medal. During the 1988 NBA draft, Manning was the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers. After 25 years (1988-2003) playing in the NBA, Manning retired and returned to work at his alma mater, KU. Manning stayed with KU for nine years before transferring to coach at the University of Tulsa.