Kansas State embracing Klieman’s winning culture

MANHATTAN, KAN. >> Sitting in a far corner of the football stadium’s parking lot was an old school bus, painted in Kansas State colors and with the words “Win the Dang Day” scrolled across the side.

It’s the catchphrase that Chris Klieman brought to the Wildcats when he was hired to replace the retired Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder late last year. Klieman was a lukewarm selection for many fans, despite his championshipwinning pedigree at North Dakota State, because he had no ties to the program and little experience working at college football’s highest level.

But after a resounding victory over then-No.

5 Oklahoma on Saturday, which pushed the Wildcats back into the AP Top 25 , good luck ffnding any critics of the new coach in the Flint Hills.

Win the dang dayff The Wildcats sure did this weekend.

“I don’t know if it has really fully hit me yet,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who threw for 213 yards while running for four scores in the

48-41 victory. “It’s a special moment for me in my life, but I know for Kansas State and the history, it’ll go down as a game people will remember forever.”

The No. 22 Wildcats (52, 2-2 Big 12) have won big games before, topping Nebraska in a massive showdown in 2000 and upsetting Texas in 2006. But the ranking sitting beside the Sooners’ name is only part of what made Kansas State’s victory so memorable.

The biggest part was the coach standing on the sideline.

With a blue-collar, everyman persona that resonates with the school’s largely ag and tech fanbase, Klieman has slowly brought even the most reluctant fans onto his side. He spent hours before the season traveling to all corners of the state, even stopping by Kansas Speedway for a NASCAR race, and embraced not only the challenge of replacing Snyder but of building upon his foundation.

Eventually, fans began to accept him as more than just the lower-division coach whom Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor chose because of their friendship. Or what some viewed as Taylor’s backup choice when other, higherproffle possibilities chose job openings elsewhere.

Evidence of that buy-in could be seen in the parking lot of Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where that school bus with “Win the Dang Day” on it sat in the far corner as fans celebrated all around.

“It’s a great program win,” Klieman said, “but I’m most happy for the players. They earned it.”