Chris Klieman suffered from dizziness on sideline during Kansas State’s win over KU
Chris Klieman didn’t feel quite right as he watched Kansas State defeat rival Kansas for its 16th straight victory in the Sunflower Showdown on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
It was difficult for the K-State football coach to stand like normal on the sideline during parts of the game. Fans spotted him off his feet several times and drinking water. At one point, Klieman left the field entirely between quarters to compose himself.
Klieman, 57, remained with the Wildcats for a full four quarters and celebrated a rivalry win with his players when it was over. But he explained afterward that he felt “really, really dizzy” and thanked the K-State training staff for helping him throughout the day.
When asked if he was feeling good, Klieman nodded.
“I think I am, buddy,” he replied.
Still, Klieman was obviously feeling a little off after the game. Though he spoke with reporters for a few minutes, K-State administrators intentionally kept his postgame news conference much shorter than usual.
This was not new for him.
“I’ve had some issues in the past,” Klieman said. “I just was really, really dizzy today. Thanks a ton to Matt Thomason and Scott Trausch for helping me out and taking care of me. My wife is going to kick my butt when I get home. I know it, so I may stay up here for a while tonight.”
K-State trailed 27-23 at the end of the third quarter and needed a 51-yard field goal from Chris Tennant to pull off a comeback against KU in the final moments.
The Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) remained in the hunt for a Big 12 championship with the victory and have now won four consecutive games.
Klieman is hoping to be back at full strength when K-State returns to action at Houston next week.
K-State quarterback Avery Johnson was proud of the toughness his coach showed on Saturday.
“He’s the definition of a leader,” Johnson said. “He does things the right way. He builds great relationships with players and coaches all throughout the facility. And he’s a great role model for the type of man that one of our players would want to be. So just seeing his resilience on the sidelines fighting with us definitely goes a long way.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 12:32 AM with the headline "Chris Klieman suffered from dizziness on sideline during Kansas State’s win over KU."