5/27/2010
By TIM UNRUH Salina Journal

Kansas Jayhawk fans are ticked off about news of an expensive ticket scam that's trickling out of Lawrence, especially considering how scarce good seats have become in Allen Fieldhouse and other arenas.

"It's despicable, and I'm really sorry it happened at my institution," said Larry Beck, a Salina cancer specialist and a 1978 KU graduate -- 1982 from medical school.

A Wichita law firm has revealed that up to $3 million could have been lost from basketball and football tickets -- also parking passes and other passes -- suspiciously sold through brokers.

"The university hired a very reputable law firm and CPA firm to investigate. That gave me some comfort that this would be looked at. I credit the university for doing that," said Jim Trower, managing partner at Woods & Durham accounting firm, 1619 E. Iron. A 1976 KU graduate, Trower is on the national board of directors of the KU Alumni Association.

In a Wednesday release, Kansas Board of Regents Chairwoman Jill Docking, of Wichita, said the report "reveals a shocking catalogue of unethical behavior that reflects negatively" on the university and it's athletics.

"I have not seen the final report," Trower said. "It appears the chancellor and the athletic director were very serious about this. The fact that they have turned (the case) over to the legal authorities gives me great comfort that it will be dealt with and we'll move on."

Word of the scam both surprised and disgusted Don Lamb, senior vice president of Sunflower Bank, 2090 S. Ohio.

He wondered how so many valuable tickets -- good seats -- could have slipped from the university's grasp.

"There are systems and controls in place that could guard against this," Lamb said.

A 1976 KU graduate, along with his wife, Mary, Don Lamb is rethinking his commitment to buying season tickets and making the drives to Lawrence for games.

"Good tickets are getting harder and harder to get. That's what angers me," Lamb said. "I know it's about money. Every year they want you to give more and more, and even though you give more, your seats don't improve."

He normally attends all home Kansas football games and shares men's basketball season tickets with five other Jayhawk fans in Salina.

"They're getting so pricey," Lamb said.

"With big screen televisions, it's awfully convenient to watch the games on TV and save the 21/2-our trip," he said.

Beck expressed trust in Kansas officials "to handle this appropriately, decisively and quickly."

But he wonders about the growth of college sports.

"It just speaks to how big of a financial institution that college athletics have become," Beck said. "Should intercollegiate athletics wield that much influence? Should we have let it get that big?"

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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