Sunflower Showdown 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. The basketball rivalry between the two schools continued unabated through the 1960s and 1970s, with
Sunflower County Consolidated School District of education, said in a Board of Education meeting in Jackson, Mississippi said that "Of all the districts we're working with right now, Sunflower is the one with the most serious situation." In 2010 State of Mississippi officials said that the management of the district should be taken over by the state government because of the existence of allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of federal funds. On April 19, 2010, the Mississippi Department of Education took control of the school district. In February 2012 the Mississippi Senate voted 43-4 to pass Senate Bill 2330, to consolidate the Sunflower County