In the 1966-1967 season, Vanoy earned Big 8 Conference basketball Sophomore of the Year honors while averaging 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Jayhawks.
[7] Kansas won that year's regular season Big 8 Conference Championship and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Midwest Regional before losing to Elvin Hayes and the Houston Cougars 66-53.
After besting Kansas, Houston fell in the 1967 NCAA Final 4 to Lew Alcindor and the UCLA Bruins.
After losing to Houston, the Jayhawks defeated Wes Unseld and the Louisville Cardinals 70-68 in the NCAA Midwest Regional third-place game.
In his junior (first) season, Vanoy tallied 19 solo tackles and 18 assists as a defensive end for the football Jayhawks that finished 3rd in the Big 8 Conference with a 5-5 record.
[11] The 1968 Kansas Jayhawks football team tied Oklahoma for 1st place in the Big 8 Conference and advanced to play Penn State in the 1969 Orange Bowl.
The Jayhawks lost to Penn State by the score of 15-14 on a second-chance last-minute two-point conversion in one of the most famous Orange Bowls every played.
However, instead of immediately joining the Giants, Vanoy signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.