Some don’t like K-State’s throwback Cats logo, but merchandise sells in the thousands
The biggest fan debate currently going in Kansas State football circles revolves around the throwback logo the Wildcats will wear on their helmets this week.
Some are thrilled to see an alternate look and seem ready to cheer on a team that takes the field in white helmets with the word “Cats” spelled out in purple script on the sides.
Others think it is sacrilegious for K-State to abandon its traditional powercat, even if it’s only for one game, especially for a logo that was last used in 1988 when the Wildcats went 0-11 under former coach Stan Parrish.
Athletic director Gene Taylor has heard every opinion on the spectrum this week. His inbox filled up with push back from some fans, but he was also informed K-State sold $50,000 worth of “Cats” merchandise the day it went on sale. And product didn’t hit the shelves until 3 p.m. on Monday.
“Obviously the powercat is our main logo and it is always going to be our main logo,” Taylor said. “We don’t want to get away from who we are. We are purple and white with a hint of gray. That’s who we are. We are the powercat, but something new and exciting for players to come out on the field with is always fun. There’s a lot of excitement about the new gear.”
Mixed reactions are unavoidable when it comes to throwback football logos at K-State. The Wildcats wanted to bring back one of their previous logos for a game this season to celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football. Picking one was a challenge. There’s a reason why Bill Snyder’s 215 victories, 19 bowl games and two conference championships in Manhattan are considered among the best turnaround jobs in college athletics. K-State football was hapless before he arrived in 1989.
The Wildcats two biggest highlights before Snyder: winning a Big Six championship in 1934 and making the Independence Bowl in 1982.
Everything changed when Snyder took over and changed the logo from “Cats” to the powercat you see at midfield today. K-State has never won big wearing anything else.
How does a program like K-State pull off a throwback look?
“The powercat is certainly synonymous with Coach Snyder and his success,” Taylor said. “We weren’t very good before he got here, so any logo we would have gone to would have equated to an era where we weren’t very successful. This was the most recent one. It is part of our history and we need to embrace our history and enjoy the fact that at one point we weren’t very good and then for a lot of years we were really good.”
He also thinks the players on the 1988 team are worth honoring.
Though Snyder’s first team in 1989 gets most of the credit for building a foundation for K-State’s current success, that roster contained many players who were recruited by Parrish and went on to help the Wildcats post a rare winning record in 1991.
One of the players on that ‘88 team was Russ Stange. His son, Trevor, is now a freshman offensive lineman playing under Chris Klieman.
“There were players on that team that worked very hard,” Taylor said. “They committed to K-State to come to work and they took a lot of pride in wearing that ‘Cats’ logo as much as our current players do wearing the powercat. I like sharing that. If you want to degrade that you are really going after those players who worked very hard to be successful.”
Funny thing is: the history behind K-State’s throwback logo means nothing to current players.
When Klieman revealed the new helmets to them earlier this week at a team meeting, the room exploded with cheers.
“We were going crazy,” K-State safety Wayne Jones said. “After being so traditional for so long, when you get something new it means everything. I love them. I love that white. There’s just something about it and the ‘Cats.’ I love it.”
The Wildcats never made major modifications to their football uniforms under Snyder, but that’s something Klieman vowed to change when he was hired last December. He still wants to stay with K-State’s traditional look for most games, but it’s important to mix things up a few times each season.
He likes the way alternate uniforms energize players and impress recruits.
This is the second alternate uniform K-State has worn this year. It sported white pants and a white helmet (with a powercat logo) during a home game against Baylor.
“I was on board and said, ‘It’s not something we’re going to do and keep the logo.’ We’re just doing it for this game,” Klieman said. “I think everything in recruiting needs to be fresh with guys. So, we had said we were going to alter a couple things this year.”
K-State is expected to return to its traditional uniform in future weeks, but Taylor said the helmets could be used again if the Wildcats play well in them and fans keep buying “Cats” gear. Taylor said merchandise sales are important to Nike, and the more product K-State sells now could help future negotiations with the school’s apparel provider.
But if the Wildcats lose this week as 14-point favorites against West Virginia, the “Cats” logo may never be seen again.
For now, K-State fans are left to debate the throwback logo while players look forward to wearing it.
“We are excited about a different look,” Thompson said. “It is fun to switch things up every once in a while, especially in today’s world where other teams are doing it all the time. We do it one time and people are flipping out. I understand it: The tradition here at K-State with the powercat and all that stuff, but I’m not against switching it up for one game. I think it’s a good idea.
“It’s nothing major. It’s just a logo on the side of the helmet. It’s nothing about the past and the record and all that stuff people are saying. Man, that was 31 years ago. It has no justification on today and it won’t be a distraction for us.”
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Some don’t like K-State’s throwback Cats logo, but merchandise sells in the thousands."