Snyder announces retirement
Bill Snyder, the legendary Kansas State coach who orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history, announced his retirement on Sunday.
MANHATTAN, KAN. — Bill Snyder already was considered the architect of the greatest turnaround in college football history before he decided to return from a three-year retirement to resurrect Kansas State again.
Now, the 79-year-old coach is heading back into retirement.
Snyder decided to step away Sunday after 27 seasons on the sideline, ending a Hall of Fame tenure in Manhattan that began in the Big Eight and weathered seismic shifts in college football. Along the way he overcame throat cancer, sent dozens of players to the NFL and gave countless more an opportunity to succeed not only on the field but also in life.
"Coach Snyder has had an immeasurable impact on our football program, Kansas State University, the Manhattan community and the entire state of Kansas," Wildcats athletic director Gene Taylor said.
The Wildcats fell apart during a season-ending loss to Iowa State, leaving them 5-7 and at home for the bowl season. Snyder finishes with a resume featuring a record of 215-117-1, trips to 19 bowl games, two Big 12 championships and a legacy that will endure long into the future.
Taylor said the search for a new coach will begin immediately with help from Ventura Partners, and a clause in Snyder's contract indicates he will have input in the decision. Taylor also said Snyder will exercise a clause that allows him to become a special ambassador to the university at a yearly salary of $250,000 for "as long as he is physically and mentally able."
Snyder arrived at Kansas State in the fall of 1988, a nondescript offensive coordinator from Iowa who once coached high school swimming before learning under legendary Hawkeyes coach Hayden Fry.
The Wildcats had just four winning seasons the previous 44 years, and they were in the midst of a 27-game winless streak. Dozens of confidants implored Snyder not to take over what "Sports Illustrated" famously called "Futility U," certain that it was a coaching dead end.
Snyder was still mulling his decision when he walked the campus one cold morning. He was smitten by the friendliness of the people, their earnestness and work ethic, and he accepted the job.
"I think the opportunity for the greatest turnaround in college football exists here today," he would say at his introductory news conference, "and it's not one to be taken lightly."
That news conference occurred 30 years ago Friday, beginning a turnaround of not only the long-languishing football program but a university in need of a boost.
He did it with hard work, pure and simple. He was famous for eating once a day, lest he waste any time dining. He once consulted a sleep expert to divine a way to get by on four hours' a night. He demanded the same rigorous schedule of his assistants, a group that would include future head coaches Bob Stoops, Bret Bielema, Dan McCarney and Jim Leavitt.
The wins began to pile up: The Wildcats went 5-6 in Year 2, won seven games the next season and went 9-2-1 to earn their first bowl berth in 1993. It began a streak of 11 consecutive postseason trips.
Kansas State started to slip in 2004 and '05, though, a pair of winless seasons that appeared to take their toll on Snyder. And he surprised many by announcing his retirement, telling a packed room inside the old football complex that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
After watching the program slide under Ron Prince, the silver fox was lured out of retirement to rebuild the program once more.