Kansas State’s new track and field/cross country coach has a big fan in Klieman
Shortly after he learned that Kansas State was on the hunt for a new director of track and field/cross country, Chris Klieman fired off a pair of text messages that turned out to be life changing for one coaching candidate.
His first text went to Travis Geopfert, who was working as the associate track and field coach at Arkansas. Klieman told him he should strongly consider applying for the job in Manhattan.
His second text went to K-State athletic director Gene Taylor. Klieman told him that he should begin the search process by taking a long look at Geopfert.
Fast forward a few weeks and Klieman’s recommendation clearly held sway.
Geopfert was formally introduced as K-State’s new leader of track and field/cross country on Monday. And that might not have happened if not for the strong working relationship he formed with Klieman years ago when they both worked at Northern Iowa.
“When you have a head coach that you respect as much as Coach Klieman, for him to reach out and say this is somebody you should look at, (it means a lot),” Taylor said. “Then you get a chance to meet Travis and learn about him. What he’s accomplished at Arkansas and throughout his career is phenomenal. We’re fortunate to have him here.”
Having someone like the K-State football coach in his corner clearly helped Geopfert as the Wildcats looked to replace longtime coach Cliff Revolto, who decided to retire earlier this year.
But how did Klieman turn out to be such a big fan of Geopfert’s work on the track?
It all started when they were both working together at Northern, in the late 2000s. Klieman was working for his alma mater as a defensive coordinator and Geopfert was helping the school’s track and field team, first as an assistant and later as a head coach.
During that time, they often recruited some of the same athletes. Klieman wanted them to play wide receiver or safety, Geopfert wanted them to run hurdles or try the long jump. Rather than go head-to-head with each other, they teamed up and often recruited young men to play both sports at Northern Iowa.
“He was a great recruiter and I got after it on the recruiting front, as well,” Geopfert said. “We had a number of football and track guys that we co-recruited together. That was awesome. We put a lot of speed on the field.”
Geopfert says he is open to doing recruiting a few more multi-sport athletes now that he is with the Wildcats.
Unlike K-State, where Geopfert says he will benefit from some of the finest facilities in the country, Northern Iowa didn’t have separate indoor training areas for both football and track athletes. That meant coaches and athletes were often forced to share the same space.
Some football coaches might not have allowed sprinters to work out while their team was on the field, but Klieman was always willing to accommodate.
“We would run up and down the sidelines or whatever to make things do,” Geopfert said. “Coach Klieman was always awesome. ‘Hey, Chris can we just do some strides here?’ He was always so gracious and approachable.”
Both coaches took other jobs and went on to work for other schools, but they stayed in touch through the years.
Geopfert said he became a North Dakota State fan when Klieman arrived in Fargo and then he made sure to watch K-State after Klieman moved to Manhattan.
He was actually so invested in K-State football that he was on the edge of his seat when the Wildcats defeated TCU in the 2023 Big 12 championship game. Geopfert took video of a decisive goal-line stand in that game and tried to send it to Klieman on his cell phone afterward. But he humorously sent it to the wrong number.
Fortunately, Klieman dialed the correct number when he called Geopfert and tried to sell him on the job. After that initial text message they spoke for 30 minutes.
Klieman outlined all the reasons why his old friend should seek out this opportunity.
“I’m a huge fan of him,” Geopfert said. “He does things the right way.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Kansas State’s new track and field/cross country coach has a big fan in Klieman."