[posterchild]

I’ve heard it called the “Sunflower State” and the “Wheat State.’ When did it become the “Jayhawk State?”

[LibWhacker]

A long time ago. We moved there in 1952 when I was a kid and it was called the Jayhawk State then.

[aft_lizard]

Right around when John Brown did his raids on slavers in Missouri.

[srmorton]

The University of Kansas sports teams are called the Jayhawks.

[Dan in Wichita]

Since about 1861.

[tumblindice]

A great many Kansans certainly don’t call Kansas the `Jayhawk state.’ Jayhawks are a sort of cartoon prairie chicken protected by the government from being consumed by native wildcats.

Years ago, KU (the University of Kansas) came to play in K-State’s Ahearn gym, and some rowdies threw a half-dozen red and blue dyed chickens onto the court.
In that the birds were very excited, and landed almost on top of KU cheerleaders, there was general pandemonium as well as hilarity. And Jack Hartmann’s boys won the day.
It’s the Sunflower state, and it gave us Katherine Sibelius.
Fank you very much, GOP moderates.