About 20 & Counting

Wyandotte High School, Kansas City, Kansas

The 20 and Counting Project was launched by Wyandotte High School (Class of 1982) and University of Kansas (Class of 1986) alumnus, Calvin Thompson, with the support of other Wyandotte alumni and friends in June of 2023.

20 and Counting was derived from the 20 boys’ basketball state championships won by the Wyandotte High School Bulldogs program, which ranks it 5th among all U.S. public high schools. Three of the four public high schools in front of Wyandotte on the list are in states that are much smaller than #34-ranked Kansas. [#50 Wyoming (Cheyenne Central HS with 27 titles), #41 New Hampshire (Portsmouth HS with 21), and #49 Vermont (Burlington HS with 21).] Fun trivia fact - former Wyandotte principal Tom Rhone is a 1950 graduate of Cheyenne Central High School!

Only Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut (Connecticut is #29 in U.S. state population ranking) with 24 state titles has more state championships in a bigger state than Wyandotte.

The original concept of “20 and Counting” was to celebrate Wyandotte High School’s 20 boys’ high school basketball state championships and help the current Wyandotte High School boys’ basketball program earn the program’s 21st state title.

The 20 and Counting Project has evolved into an organization of passionate volunteers that have taken the original concept and created several goals. The goals will be updated with accomplishments on this website.

1. Goal: Honor Wyandotte High School’s teams, players, and coaches with permanent displays in the Wyandotte High School gym, on a “20 and Counting” website, and in a documentary film.

Accomplishments
- Created twenty-four, 24” x 36” permanent acrylic signs to be mounted in the Wyandotte gym to celebrate the 20 state championships.
- Created a website that contains information and pictures of the 20 championship teams, Bulldog Trailblazers, Noteworthy Contemporaries, Project milestones, and much more at 20andcounting.com.

Activities planned
- In partnership with KCKPS, create and fund a Wyandotte High School Boys’ Basketball Hall / Wall of Fame, Retired Jersey display, and Trophy Case remodel project. If you want to contribute to this initiative, you can contribute at Venmo: @topbulldog.
- Produce a documentary on the program’s 20 State Championships, its players and coaches and its amazing connections with U.S. sports history. Interviews began on December 13, 2023, and are continuing.

2. Goal: Organize and host a yearly Wyandotte basketball program reunion with yearly honors.

Accomplishments
- Hosted the first ever Wyandotte High School boys’ basketball reunion on March 23, 2024.
- Created the “Lucius Allen – Mr. Bulldog” award for a top Bulldog alumnus to be honored yearly.

3. Goal: Establish “20 and Counting” scholarship funds at the University of Kansas & Kansas City Kansas Community
College to benefit Wyandotte High School graduates.

Activities planned
- In honor of Wyandotte High School alumni who went on to compete for the Kansas Jayhawks basketball and football programs (see the “Wyandotte to KU” section of the website), a “Wyandotte to KU” scholarship fund is planned to be established to benefit Wyandotte High School graduates that choose to attend the University of Kansas. Initial funding for this scholarship can be made to the University of Kansas Endowment Association (Attn: Avery Miller) for either the Expendable Scholarship for $5,000 or the Endowed Scholarship for $50,000.
- In honor of Butch and Nolen Ellison, a “Butch & Nolen Ellison 20 and Counting” scholarship fund is planned to be established at Kansas City Kansas Community College to benefit Wyandotte High School graduates that choose to attend KCKCC. Initial funding for this scholarship can be made to the Kansas City Kansas Community College Foundation (Attn: Katie Lindgren) of $5,000 for a Named Scholarship or $25,000 for an Endowed Scholarship.