Former Kansas State coach Bill Snyder had an impact on the program that's still discussed to this day.
ESPN was the latest to recognize and celebrate his legend. The popular media outlet released an article discussing the winningest college football coaches of all-time, with Snyder falling at No. 16 with 215 wins.
The article wrote:
"Nobody is more synonymous with Kansas State football than Snyder, who turned around arguably the worst team in college football history in his 27 seasons in Manhattan. After 13 seasons as an assistant under Hayden Fry, Snyder inherited a Wildcats team riding a 27-game winless streak and led them to a 215-117-1 record (.647), including two Big 12 titles and their first nine bowl wins in program history."
Snyder truly shifted the direction of Kansas State football, taking a one-win team in 1989 and converting it to a Big 12/Eight juggernaut. The Wildcats had 19 Bowl appearances under Snyder, winning nine of them, with 11 consecutive games from 1993 to 2003.
A seven-time conference Coach of the Year, winning four Big 12 North Division championships and two Big 12 championships, Snyder was the pinnacle of Kansas State's success. The football stadium was renamed the Bill Snyder Family Stadium in 2015 to honor his accomplishments within the institution.
He oversaw program legend and new head coach Collin Klein, who played under center from 2009-12, highlighted by a Heisman Trophy campaign in 2012. Klein returned to Kansas State, crediting Snyder for his collegiate success.
"Thank you for establishing the foundation and a legacy of serving people, players, staff, faculty, community, and for using the Kansas State football program as a vehicle to impact lives for the better," Klein said in his opening head coach press conference. "I just can't thank you enough for when I didn't know what my journey was going to look like, and then you came back. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
As someone who wants to re-establish winning in Manhattan, KS, Klein wants to follow his old head coach for the blueprint to succeed at the helm.
“The ability to build a culture from the ground up," Snyder said in the press conference. "The discipline, the accountability, the work ethic, the toughness. This is the foundation for every successful program that has ever been.”
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