Bill Snyder’s message before Sunflower Showdown: KSU had ‘great team effort’ vs. OU
Kansas State’s marquee upset of then-No. 5 Oklahoma in Manhattan last weekend didn’t go unnoticed by retired Wildcats football coach Bill Snyder.
No way.
In fact, the man who resurrected the K-State program not once but twice during the course of a 27-year head-coaching career in Manhattan contacted The Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle via email and phone Thursday to share the following message with Wildcats Nation in light of his former team’s 48-41 victory:
Once again a great team effort in the victory over Oklahoma.
A well-managed game by the coaches and support staff; and a well-executed game by the players.
And once again a great support effort by Frank Tracz and the band, the cheer squads and amazing fan base.
Truly a FAMILY affair, as it has been for the past three decades. Congratulations to each of you. So very proud of you.
Warmest Regards,
Bill Snyder.
Snyder, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday and whose name graces the entrance of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, was known during his lengthy and extremely successful career to send letters of encouragement and appreciation to those around him. Often written in purple ink, they became one of his hallmarks.
Another, of course, was winning, and winning big. No one in the history of the KSU program comes close to the 215-117-1 record he compiled during the course of his two stints at the helm. He remains the 20th-winningest coach in FBS annals and ranked second among active coaches in FBS victories at the time of his retirement following the 2018 season.
He led K-State to 19 of the school’s 21 bowl appearances and twice guided teams to the top of the national rankings, along the way coaching 214 All-Americans and 13 Academic All-Americans. A five-time national coach of the year and seven-time conference coach of the year, Snyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015 — just the fourth time a coach had been inducted while still actively coaching.
The weekend ahead is another weighty one for Kansas State, as the 5-2 Wildcats, now coached by Snyder’s successor, Chris Klieman, and one win from bowl eligibility, travel to Lawrence on Saturday for the annual Sunflower Showdown against Les Miles and the Kansas Jayhawks (3-5).
Kickoff at David Booth Memorial Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on FS1.
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 4:10 PM.