Bill Snyder on retirement: “I don’t wake up thinking, ‘Boy do I miss football’”
More than 18 months have passed since Bill Snyder hung up his head set and windbreaker following a Hall of Fame career as Kansas State’s football coach, and it sounds as if he has used that time to get comfortable in his new life.
“I don’t wake up thinking, ‘Boy do I miss football,’” Snyder said. “I don’t really think about it all that much.”
Many have wondered how Snyder would handle life after football. After all, the 80-yard coaching legend tried retirement in 2005 and returned to the sidelines four years later after a failed experiment with Ron Prince.
By then, K-State had named its football stadium after him. For good reason. During his 27 seasons in charge of K-State’s football team, he managed to win 215 games, reach 19 bowls and claim a pair of Big 12 championships. It was a magical run that turned the Wildcats into consistent winners after decades of futility. After much debate, he agreed to step aside in 2018 after the Wildcats missed out on a bowl for the first time in nine years.
But it seemed like he wanted to keep coaching. Could he stay away this time?
The answer is now clear.
“The first time that I did this, it took me about six months to really get acclimated, so to speak, and from that point on it didn’t bother me not being on the field. The same has taken place this time,” Snyder said during a video conference earlier this week. “I can’t say that I don’t miss being on the field, but it’s not something that I think about going back to. The time has come and passed and I enjoyed it.”
These days, Snyder spends most of his time at home with his wife and family.
After years of collecting all kinds of items and filling up his storage rooms like “a pack rat,” he is finally sorting through boxes and cleaning his house. He bragged about clearing out enough room in his home office to use it for a video call this week.
He also advised his son, Sean, as he left an analyst role with K-State to become special teams coordinator at Southern California. And he talks with leadership groups when he has the time.
Snyder jokes that he might occasionally have dreams about football, but he doesn’t sleep. So that is not a concern.
Whenever he does feel the football itch, he scratches it by attending K-State home games. Snyder remained present last season while new coach Chris Klieman led the team to eight victories. He watched the action high above the sidelines from his suite at Snyder Family Stadium. TV cameras regularly showed him observing plays through binoculars and sipping wine during timeouts.
Those were enjoyable afternoons.
He also stays in contact with many of his former players and recently made the case for Michael Bishop and Darren Sproles to join him in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Sharing advice with and mentoring young players was always one of his favorite parts of coaching. He remains active in that area and says he has advice for anyone struggling with the chaotic times we are living in.
“I would like to think that it would be virtually the same,” Snyder said. “With all the turmoil that goes on, one thing that stands at the top is the quality of character and the type of person that you are and the value system that you possess.”
Snyder hopes his former players can find guidance in his famous 16 Goals for Success.
“Those are things that I would still promote with young people in the program,” Snyder said. “What allows you to become a successful person or a successful family person or a successful business man or woman or just successful in life … I don’t think those have changed and I hate to see us get away from that.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 11:01 AM with the headline "Bill Snyder on retirement: “I don’t wake up thinking, ‘Boy do I miss football’”."