The Kansas CW | Bill Snyder Returns to Kansas State

Bill Snyder Returns to Kansas State

Update Monday AM:

K-State's athletic director Bob Krause and President Jon Wefald made it official this morning.  Bill Snyder is coming back to coach Wildcat Football.

During the press conference, Snyder called his departure three years ago a "hasty mistake" and says he's excited about getting back to coaching.

Snyder says he was first contacted by K-State the week after the Wildcats loss to Missouri State, and that he'd been mulling the idea ever since.  He says he made the final decision Sunday night.

He says his top priority is settling the waters and drawing the K-State family back.

Snyder says he hasn't yet selected a staff, but plans to spend the next few days doing just that.  He'll meet with his team for the first time Monday afternoon.

You can watch the entire press conference using the links on the left.

by Eyewitness Sports and The Associated Press (MANHATTAN, Kan.)

Eyewitness Sports has confirmed through multiple sources, including one close to the Kansas State Athletic Department, that coaching legend Bill Snyder will return as head coach of the Wildcats.

Snyder transformed the program with a record of 136-68-1 over 17 seasons. He left the program in 2005.

Snyder replaces Ron Prince who was 17-20 in three seasons with the Wildcats.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Jon McGraw, who starred for Snyder from 1999-2001, said he spoke with his old coach several months ago and "got the feeling he missed being out of coaching."

"But it didn't occur to me he would want to come back," McGraw said.

Snyder was the offensive coordinator at Iowa when then-athletic director Steve Miller hired him after the 1988 season. The Wildcats had gone 0-21-1 their two previous years and many people were wondering if the school ought to give up major college football status.

The Wildcats had a record of 299-510, the only major college with 500 losses. They'd won one conference title - in 1934 - and enjoyed only two winning seasons in 34 years.

But by 1997, Snyder had the Wildcats contending for national as well as Big 12 honors. As one long-suffering fan put it at the time, "It's like we're a big extended family that's been living in poverty for generations, but now we've got a smart uncle who's making us all rich."

When Snyder retired as the most revered figure in the school's athletic history, the stadium was renamed "Bill Snyder Family Stadium," and the highway leading from Interstate 70 into Manhattan was renamed "Bill Snyder Highway."

Prince was beaten down by the same disadvantages that have plagued Kansas State for decades: no major population within a short distance to recruit from, little tradition and less money than more richly endowed institutions.

In a profession known for sleep-deprived workaholics, Snyder's nearly inhuman devotion to his work became legendary. During his tenure as head coach, one of sons, Ross, was recruited by several smaller schools in the area as a running back.

On national signing day, Ross decided to attend Butler County Community College. A reporter who knew the family approached Snyder following Kansas State's recruiting news conference that day and remarked that he thought Ross had made a good choice.

"Who did he sign with?" Snyder asked. He had been so wrapped up in Kansas State's recruiting, he hadn't yet learned where his son was going to school.

Another key reason for Snyder's success was his eye for coaching talent. Among the young assistants he brought to Kansas State who went on to become head coaches were Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Mark Mangino at Kansas, Jim Leavitt at South Florida and Mike Stoops at Arizona.

His first Kansas State team won only one game, beating North Texas with a last-minute drive. The next year they were 5-6, matching their best record in 17 years. In 1993, they won the Copper Bowl and began a string of 11 consecutive bowl trips.

In 2003, the Wildcats beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game for their only league title since 1934.

Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer told The Associated Press when Snyder retired that he considered what Snyder had done at Kansas State "the greatest coaching job in history."