LAWRENCE
Tony Severino’s words — spoken a decade ago — are ones that Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis lives by today.
Ever since a grade-school football camp, Willis has remembered one line from the Rockhurst High School coach: “The No. 1 thing a quarterback needs to have success on the field is toughness.”
And this is where you learn something new about KU’s sophomore quarterback. His father, Steve, preaches the value of displaying strength as well, saying that’s part of the family’s past.
“He tells me, ‘You’re a Cherokee Indian. We’re warriors,’ ” Willis said. “You’ve just got to act that way.