The architect of what has been considered the greatest turnaround in college football history has decided to call it a career.
On Sunday, following a Friday meeting with university officials to discuss his future and prior to a Sunday meeting with his players, the Manhattan Mercury reported that Kansas State head football coach Bill Snyder has chosen to retire after 27 years on the sideline as the head man of the Wildcats, his coaching career has officially come to a close, following K-State's 5-7 overall, 3-6 in the Big 12, finish for the 2018 season. The official decision comes three days after the 30th anniversary of Snyder's hiring at the school on November 30th, 1988.
GoPowercat.com now has independently verified Snyder's retirement through sources. No press conference is currently scheduled surrounding Snyder's retirement or the announce the selection of his replacement. Kansas State athletics director Gene Taylor has already departed for New York City for this week's College Football Hall of Fame ceremonies. Snyder, who is a member of the Hall of Fame, is expected to leave for New York shortly.
K-State released the official news of Snyder's retirement at 2:10 p.m. (Central) via press release.
“Coach Snyder has had an immeasurable impact on our football program, Kansas State University, the Manhattan community and the entire state of Kansas, and it has been an honor and a privilege to get to know and work with him the past two years,” said Athletics Director Gene Taylor said in the press release. “He and his family have touched the lives of so many people, from student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans, and he is truly one of the greatest coaches and leaders in college football history. His impact on college football is unmatched and legacy is one that will last a lifetime.”
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“This university, this community and this state are deeply indebted to Coach Bill Snyder. Since arriving on campus in 1989, Coach has delivered on all his promises — and more. He brought Kansas State University football to the national stage and built a program on the bedrock of integrity, honor and his famed 16 goals for success,” Richard Myers, Kansas State University president, also said via press release.
“He came here, and stayed here, because of the people. He made us a family — a proud purple family who travel in record numbers to watch him lead the Wildcats to victories, bowls and rankings never achieved before. Coach Snyder has always taken the time and care to turn his players into college graduates, community leaders, successful businessmen and leaders of strong families. Bill Snyder is a legend and his legacy is one that K-Staters for generations will value and cherish,” Myers said.
The press release from Kansas State included no comment from Snyder.
While the final year of Snyder’s career brought fans clamoring for him to step down, there’s no denying the impact that Snyder had on the K-State football program, as well as the college football landscape as a whole.
Coming to Manhattan from the University of Iowa in 1989 Snyder, then an offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes, inherited what was the worst college football program of all-time. K-State had lost 26-straight games from one point in the 1986 season, through the 1988 season. Before Snyder arrived, then-coach Stan Parrish went just 2-30-1 with the Wildcats in his three years.
Snyder brought a massive change, though.
The Wildcats went just 1-10 in Snyder’s first season, but the impact of his presence was already being felt. K-State went 5-6, 7-4 and 5-6 in the next three seasons. Before that 1990 season, the last time K-State had won five games or more was 1982.
Things only got better from there, though, as Snyder continued to pull the K-State program out of the ashes and into the spotlight.
In 1992, Snyder took K-State to its first bowl game in 11 seasons, as the Wildcats defeated Wyoming in the Copper Bowl. Snyder would take K-State to 11-straight bowl games starting with that Copper Bowl, including wins in the Holiday Bowl (three times), Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
After falling to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl of the 2003 season — the same season that K-State knocked off No. 1 Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championship — Snyder and K-State missed bowl games for two-straight years before he decided to hang up the clipboard in 2005.
Snyder sat and watched the program he built fall under new coach Ron Prince. In Prince’s three years, the Wildcats went 17-20 and lost the only bowl game they reached. Prince was fired and Snyder took back his spot as K-State’s coach.
It only took Snyder one season, 2009, of missing a bowl game before he had the Wildcats back in their rightful place. Starting with the Pinstripe Bowl in 2010, K-State reached eight-straight bowl games in Snyder’s return. That streak was snapped with the 2018 season, which is now known as his last.
Snyder ends his career with a record of 215-117. Snyder won two Big 12 Championships at K-State, first in 2003 and the second in 2012, as well as finishing his career with a bowl record of 9-10. He never coached as a head coach anywhere else, despite multiple attempts by other large schools to pull him out of Manhattan.
Perhaps the most notable seasons of his 27 years came in 1998 and 2012, two seasons that K-State came within striking distance of a National Championship. The 1998 team reached 11-0, while the 2012 team reached a 10-0 start. However, both seasons saw the Wildcats suffer losses late in the season and hopes of a National Championship went out the window.
The search for Snyder’s replacement will begin immediately. Stay locked in at GoPowercat.com for the latest on who will be next in line to take over the program in Manhattan.