Bill Snyder, the 69 year old former coach of the Wildcats is returning to the sidelines after signing a 5 year contract with Kansas State. What are your thoughts on this re-hire?
[url]http://www.eldoradotimes.com/sports/x415854760/Snyder-return s-as-Kansas-State-coach[/url]
Manhattan, Kan. -
Bill Snyder is back as head football coach at Kansas State University.
Snyder, 69, had retired in November of 2005 after 17 seasons, creating what is considered to be one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. Snyder replaces Ron Prince, who was fired after three seasons, which included a 5-7 record in 2008.
Originally hired by KSU in November of 1988, Snyder compiled a record of 136-68-1 (.666) with the Wildcats, including 75-53-1 (.585) in the Big Eight/Big 12. His 136 wins are by far the most in school history.
When Snyder was first hired, the Wildcats were in the middle of an 0-26-1 stretch. Over the previous 51 seasons before his hiring, Kansas State won just 130 games. The previous 12 head coaches combined for just 116 wins. In his first season, the Wildcats were 1-10; they improved to 5-6 the following year and 7-4 in his third season.
Snyder led Kansas State to 11 straight bowl games from 1993-2003, making them one of only seven programs to do so during that span. Over that period, K-State won 109 games and was the second-winningest program in the country. That included a 35-7 win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game in 2003.
During his tenure, Snyder was voted National Coach of the Year three times (1991, 1994, 1998). In 1993, he joined Nebraska legend Bob Devaney as the only Big Eight coaches in history to be named Associated Press Big Eight Coach of the Year three times in four years. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year by at least one publication five times.
The 1996 season saw KSU finish with a 9-3 record, and over 45,000 fans went to Dallas to watch them play Brigham Young in the Cotton Bowl.
In 1997, Snyder led K-State to their first 11-win season ever and finished seventh in the final national poll. They won seven conference games, losing to eventual national champion Nebraska. The Wildcats finished the season with a win over Syracuse in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. An estimated 50,000 Wildcat fans attended that game.
Snyder's best season may have been 2002, when the Wildcats jumped from 6-6 the previous season to 11-2 and finished with a win in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego. That squad set or tied 45 school records, including tying the mark for wins in a season. They finished with six straight wins, including a three-week span against Kansas, Iowa State and Nebraska.
Snyder, whom the KSU football field is now named for, has remained involved with the Wildcat program over the last three years as the special assistant to the Athletics Director and is currently a member of the Kansas and Missouri Halls of Fame, the Kansas State Athletics and Austin College Sports Halls of Fame and the Holiday Bowl Hall of Fame.
