Sunflower Showdown The Sunflower Showdown is the series of athletic contests between Kansas State University and the University of Kansas , most notably football and men ' s basketball . The name is derived from the official nickname for the state of Kansas : the Sunflower State . The two schools compete each year for the Governor ' s Cup in football . The football series dates back to 1902 , and has been played every year since 1911 , making it the sixth - longest active series in Division I college football . The University of Kansas built a large advantage in the series by 1923 , and leads the overall series 64 - 42 - 5 or 65 - 41 - 5 ( depending on whether a 1980 forfeit by KU is counted ) after the 2013 game . The men ' s basketball series dates back to 1907 , and is the most - played series in either school ' s history , and the sixth - most - played in NCAA history . KU leads the men ' s basketball series 187 – 92 following the most recent game on February 10 , 2014 . This ranks as the third most victories by one school over another in NCAA Division I men ' s basketball . In 2010 , Dillons bought the naming rights and the series was re - branded " The Dillon ’ s Sunflower Showdown " . Origins . The rivalry between the two schools can be traced indirectly back to their creation in the 1860s . The towns of Manhattan , Kansas ( now home to KSU ) and Lawrence , Kansas ( now home to KU ) both competed to be the site of the state University – required in the Kansas Constitution – after Kansas achieved statehood in 1861 . Manhattan would have become the home of the University in 1861 , but the bill establishing the University in Manhattan was controversially veto ed by Governor Charles L . Robinson of Lawrence . An attempt to override the veto in the Legislature failed by two votes . In 1862 , another bill to make Manhattan the site of the University failed by one vote . Finally , on the third attempt , on February 16 , 1863 , the Kansas Legislature designated Manhattan as home to the state ' s Land - grant university . Yet the legislature was not done . Prodded by former Governor Robinson , the Legislature distinguished this institution from the " University " in the Constitution , and on February 20 the Legislature named Lawrence as the home to the state University ( provided Lawrence could raise $ 15 , 000 and acquire not less than of land ) . When Lawrence met these conditions , the University of Kansas was established there in 1865 . The first recorded meeting between the two institutions in athletic competition was a little more than thirty years after their founding , in a baseball game in 1898 . Men ' s basketball . The two schools have had a strong rivalry in basketball for several decades , peaking in the 1950s . Recently , the University of Kansas has been dominant in the series , including a winning streak over K - State that lasted from 1994 to 2005 . Despite the lopsided record , the rivalry has become more relevant again in recent years , with both teams ranked in the AP Top 25 for many of the match - ups . Jeff Sagarin ' s rankings of the nation ' s top programs by decade in the " ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia " nicely track the history of the rivalry . In the 1950s , when the rivalry was at its peak , Kansas State finished the decade ranked as the # 3 program in the nation and KU was ranked as # 4 . In the 1960s KU was ranked # 9 for the decade and KSU was ranked # 11 . In the 1970s , the programs were again nearly even , with Kansas State ranked at # 24 and KU at # 25 . In the 1980s some separation appeared , as KU finished the decade ranked at # 19 and Kansas State at # 31 . The big difference appeared in the 1990s and 2000s when KU was ranked at # 4 and # 2 for the decades , while Kansas State does not appear anywhere in the top 40 . Even when the schools are at different levels , upsets are always a possibility in the rivalry , as when Kansas State upset a KU team that was ranked # 1 in the AP Poll on January 17 , 1994 , or when KU pulled the upset on a K - State team ranked # 1 on January 17 , 1953 . Most recently , K - State beat a # 1 KU team on February 14 , 2011 in Manhattan . Over the decades , the rivalry has seen a number of notable coaches match wits , including Jack Gardner , Tex Winter , Lon Kruger and Jack Hartman at Kansas State , and James Naismith , Phog Allen , Larry Brown , Roy Williams and Bill Self at KU . Early years . The teams were fairly even up until the 1930s , with the series standings at 31 – 27 in favor of Kansas entering the decade . During the 30 ' s and 40 ' s , Kansas would gain a large lead in the standings with a number of win streaks , including 22 in a row from 1938 to 1947 . In 1935 Kansas tied an NCAA record by beating Kansas State five times in the same calendar year , a feat that was only accomplished one other time , when Kansas beat Nebraska five times in 1909 . 1950s . Both schools were national title contenders in the 1950s , with Kansas State starting the decade in the title game of the 1951 NCAA tournament , and KU winning the title at the 1952 NCAA tournament . Befitting a clash of these titans , one of the best games of the 1951 – 1952 season was an epic 90 – 88 overtime victory by # 4 KU over # 8 K - State in the 1951 Big Seven Holiday Tournament . KU returned to the national title game in the 1953 NCAA Tournament missing back to back titles by 1 point , claiming the league title along the way over a KSU team that had earlier been the top - ranked basketball team in the country . The rivalry heated up even further with the arrival of Bob Boozer at Kansas State and Wilt Chamberlain at KU in the middle of the decade . In the 1955 – 1956 season , Kansas State split the season series with KU and won the Big Seven Conference title . The following year , Chamberlain led KU to the league title and a triple - overtime loss to North Carolina in the title game of the 1957 NCAA tournament . Kansas and Kansas State played another classic the following season , when Boozer scored 32 points in a 79 – 75 double - overtime victory at KU on February 3 , 1958 , while KSU was ranked # 4 and KU was ranked # 2 . ( When the two teams had previously met that season on December 30 , 1957 , they were ranked # 2 and # 3 in the country . ) Following that season , KSU made another appearance in the Final Four . To close the decade , Kansas State swept the season series from KU on the way to a 25 – 2 record and a # 1 ranking in the final AP Poll for 1959 . During the 1950s , the two schools also engaged in one - upsmanship in facilities . In prior decades , Kansas State had played their games in Nichols Hall , which doubled as a gymnasium , livestock pavilion , and pool . In the late - 1940s the state Legislature approved and paid for the construction of a new and much larger basketball facility . In 1950 Kansas State opened Ahearn Field House , one of the largest basketball facilities in the country at the time , which seated 14 , 000 spectators . Meanwhile , KU still played their home games on a converted stage in Hoch Auditorium with a seating capacity of 5 , 500 . In response to the construction of Ahearn , the University of Kansas successfully lobbied the state to pay for the construction of Allen Fieldhouse , which would seat 17 , 000 . KU opened the facility with a 77 – 66 victory over Kansas State on March 1 , 1955 . This period also saw the beginning of the ' Sunflower Doubleheader ' , with two non - conference teams visiting the state to play KU and K - State at one venue one night , then switching venues and opponents the following evening . This event was held from 1957 to 1968 , and featured national powerhouses such as UCLA , Xavier , San Francisco , St . Joseph ' s , Cal , and Marquette . 1960s and 1970s . The basketball rivalry between the two schools continued unabated through the 1960s and 1970s , with the two schools competing annually for the Big Eight Conference championship ( see chart below ) . In Dick Harp ' s last two seasons as the KU coach , the Jayhawks plummeted to losing records of 7 – 18 in 1962 and 12 – 13 in 1963 . Nevertheless , in the championship game of the Big Eight Holiday Tournament in December 1962 , KU posted a surprising 90 - 88 quadruple - overtime victory over K - State . Also , on February 20 , 1965 , one of the classic pranks in the series was perpetrated when a pair of 6x12 banners saying " Go Cats , Kill Snob Hill Again " unfurled on the east and west sides of the Allen Fieldhouse scoreboard with eight minutes left in the first half . Unfortunately for the Cats , this did not come to pass , as KU beat K - State 88 – 66 . Another popular " prank " perpetrated by Kansas State students throughout the years is throwing live chickens , painted blue and red , on the court during pre - game introductions , as a taunt at the Kansas mascot , the Jayhawk . For years the Kansas State administration has attempted to stop this practice , and following a nationally - televised game on February 19 , 2007 , PETA complained about it in a letter to KSU President Jon Wefald . 1980s . The 1980s saw the return of star power to the schools and arguably the rivalry ' s most high - profile game . At the start of the decade , Rolando Blackman at Kansas State and Darnell Valentine at KU squared off in some classic match - ups . To close the decade , it was Mitch Richmond ( K - State ) and Danny Manning ( KU ) battling . With Richmond and Manning in their senior years , the 1987 – 1988 season proved to be momentous in the rivalry . In the first matchup of the season , on January 30 , 1988 , Richmond scored 35 points to lead Kansas State to a 72 - 61 win to halt KU ' s then - record 55 - game home winning streak . On February 18 , KU turned the tables , prevailing 64 – 63 in Ahearn Field House to deny K - State a victory over KU in the old field house ' s last year . In what was supposed to be the rubber game , in the 1988 Big Eight Conference tournament , Kansas State won a decisive victory by a 69 – 54 score . However , the biggest was yet to come . Both teams qualified for the NCAA tournament , and after three wins apiece in the tournament they faced each other on March 27 in Pontiac , Michigan , for the right to advance to the Final Four . Led by Manning ' s 20 points , KU turned a tight game into a runaway and prevailed 71 – 58 . They eventually advanced to claim the school ' s second NCAA Tournament Championship . That game in the Pontiac Silverdome was the first ever meeting between the ' Hawks and the ' Cats not played in Lawrence , Manhattan , or Kansas City , Missouri . The 1990s and 2000s . The rivalry slipped in significance after the 1988 season , as K - State slowly declined in the Big 8 and Big 12 conferences and KU saw sustained success under new coach Roy Williams . During Williams ' tenure at Kansas , the Jayhawks went 50 – 6 against the Wildcats . Only occasionally would K - State make some noise , such as the 68 – 64 win over then - # 1 KU in Allen Fieldhouse in 1994 . From 1994 to 2005 , KU won 31 straight games against K - State , the longest streak for either school in the series . Also , from 1984 to 2007 , KU won 24 straight games on the Wildcats ' home floor , the third longest win - streak on an opponents home court in NCAA history . During the latter streak , K - State won seven games against KU , but all were away from Manhattan : four games in Lawrence ( 1988 , 1989 , 1994 , 2006 ) and three games in the Big Eight Tournament in Kansas City ( 1988 , 1989 , 1993 ) . The streak began in Ahearn Field House , where KU won the final five meetings , and carried over into Bramlage Coliseum , where KU won the first 19 contests . KU ' s streak at Bramlage Coliseum came to an end on January 30 , 2008 , when # 22 - ranked Kansas State upset previously - unbeaten # 2 Kansas 84 – 75 . 2006 – present . When Kansas State hired coach Bob Huggins to replace Jim Wooldridge in the 2006 off - season , Huggins sought to reinvigorate the rivalry . At K - State ' s " Madness in Manhattan " celebration to start the 2006 – 2007 season , Huggins referred to KU ' s 23 - game winning streak in Manhattan and said that " February 19th is when we break the streak . " However , KU swept the season series from Kansas State , and Huggins departed following the season to coach his alma mater , West Virginia University . The 2007 – 2008 season presented an intriguing contrast between youth and experience . KU was led by the experienced coach Bill Self and retained a lineup of experienced players . Kansas State was led by a first - year head coach , Frank Martin , and featured one of the top - rated groups of freshman players in the nation . Prior to the season , Kansas State freshman phenom Michael Beasley boasted that " We ' re gonna beat KU at home . We ' re gonna beat ' em at their house . We ' re gonna beat ' em in Africa . Wherever we play we ' re gonna beat ' em . " KU came into the first match - up of the season , on January 30 , 2008 , with a 20 – 0 record and a # 2 national ranking , but Kansas State prevailed 84 – 75 , ending KU ' s long winning streak in Manhattan . Kansas State ' s trip to Lawrence later that year was not as enjoyable for the Wildcats as Kansas won 88 – 74 , leaving Beasley ' s prophecy unfulfilled . Both schools advanced to the NCAA tournament at the conclusion of the 2008 regular season , and Kansas went on to win its third NCAA championship . The rivalry featured three high - profile match - ups during the 2009 – 2010 season . In the first game on January 30 , 2010 , in Manhattan with ESPN ' s College GameDay broadcasting live from the game , Kansas came into the game ranked # 2 , while Kansas State was ranked # 11 . KU prevailed in overtime 81 – 79 , in a game that ESPN described as a " classic . " After the game , Kansas center Cole Aldrich said , " You ' re going to get done playing basketball , and you ' re going to look back and say , ' I loved playing that game . ' " The " Wichita Eagle " wrote that the " rivalry is back . " The second match - up on March 3 , 2010 was the first time since 1958 that both teams were ranked in the top 5 with Kansas at # 2 and KSU at # 5 . With number one seed implications on the line , Frank Martin called it " the biggest game we ' ve ever played at K - State " . Kansas went on to win 82 – 65 and secure sole possession of the Big 12 Championship . The two teams met again in the 2010 Big 12 Men ' s Basketball Tournament Championship Game with KU ranked # 1 in the nation and KSU ranked # 9 . The Jayhawks won 72 – 64 , completing a three game sweep of the Wildcats and winning the Big 12 Tournament title . After Frank Martin left K - State in 2012 to take the coaching job with the South Carolina Gamecocks , he was replaced by Bruce Weber , former Illinois head coach . Weber led his first Kansas State team to a co - conference championship with KU in 2013 . For Kansas , it was the ninth straight league title and eleventh in twelve seasons ; for Kansas State , it was the first regular season conference title since winning the Big Eight in 1977 . During the regular season , Kansas swept Kansas State with a 59 – 55 victory in Manhattan and an 83 – 62 victory in Lawrence . The two teams met a third time in the finals of the 2013 Big 12 Tournament , where Kansas bested Kansas State 70 – 54 for the three - game sweep . The 2013 - 2014 season season saw a season split between the rivals . Kansas won 86 – 60 in the first meeting in Lawrence , and Kansas State won in Manhattan in overtime , 85 – 82 , with ESPN ' s College GameDay again broadcasting from the game . The 2014 win for KSU marked its third home win over KU in seven years , after ending KU ' s 24 - game winning streak in Manhattan in 2008 . Since Huggins ' arrival at Kansas State in 2006 , the rivalry has regained national relevance but KU has still won 16 of 19 games against KSU . Conference basketball supremacy . From 1946 through 1978 , Kansas and Kansas State made the competition for the basketball title for their conference ( known as the Big Six , Big Seven and Big Eight during this time ) virtually a two - way affair . During this 33 - year period , KU or KSU won or shared the title 26 times . The following chart shows the conference titles captured by the Sunflower Showdown schools during this span of time . Since 1991 Kansas has won or shared the Big 8 and Big 12 titles 18 times . Kansas and Kansas State shared the Big 12 regular - season title for the 2012 – 2013 season . Football . After the two programs began playing each other in football in 1902 , ill will soon surfaced . Following the 1909 contest , a 5 – 3 KU victory , a dispute between the schools led them to cancel the game scheduled for the 1910 season . After taking the break in 1910 , the teams have met on the field every autumn since , and the 2010 game marked the 100th straight year the two teams played . Only four other active series in Division I college football have been contested for more consecutive years . KU was notably dominant in the series during the early years , building a 17 – 1 – 3 advantage through the 1923 season . Since 1923 the programs have been much more even , with KU holding a 47 - 40 - 2 advantage during that period ( including a 1980 forfeit by KU ) . Because KU does not acknowledge the forfeit as a loss , due to a 1999 NCAA subcommittee ruling on forfeits , the two schools disagree on the overall series record . KU says it leads the series 65 – 41 – 5 , while Kansas State reports the record as 64 – 42 – 5 following the 2013 game . The teams began competing for the Governor ' s Cup in 1969 , and many of the most storied or interesting games between the programs have come during this era , including a 1995 match - up between sixth - ranked Kansas and fourteenth - ranked Kansas State , won by Kansas State 41 – 7 . During the 1990s and early 2000s , Kansas State fielded a much stronger team – annually garnering high national rankings – resulting in an 11 - game winning streak over KU that lasted from 1993 through the 2003 season , finally ending in 2004 . That winning streak was the longest for either team in the history of the rivalry . KSU currently has an active five - game winning streak . Baseball . The schools first met on the baseball field in 1898 . The all - time series record is disputed between the two schools , with the KU media guide listing the Jayhawks ahead 179 - 170 - 1 , while the KSU media guide list the series with KSU ahead 172 - 163 - 1 ( following the 2013 regular season ) . The discrepancy is likely the result of highly inaccurate records by both schools for the early years of the series , with games missing from both record books . For example , in the 1912 season the KU media guide states that the teams met four times with KU winning three of four . On the other hand , the KSU media guide lists only one matchup , with KSU the victor . A four game series was the standard at the time , as both record books reflect a four game series in 1911 and 1913 . Another example is in the 1914 season where the KU record books reflect four matchups with each team winning two , while the KSU books show only two matchups and KSU the winner of both . In the 1916 season the KSU record books show a four game series with KU winning all four , while KU books do not reflect having played KSU at all . These sort of discrepancies are frequent until the late 20 ' s when both schools books begin to coincide . Series standings . The schools compete annually in football , men ' s basketball , women ' s basketball , women ' s volleyball , baseball , cross country , track and field , women ' s tennis , rowing , men ' s golf , and women ' s golf . Kansas State does not sponsor fast - pitch softball or women ' s soccer , and Kansas does not sponsor men ' s tennis . Below are the series records in the major sports . Kansas leads the active series in all sports combined 575 - 459 - 7 according to KU or 558 - 462 - 7 according to K - State .