Bill Snyder

For other people named Bill Snyder, see Bill Snyder (disambiguation).
Bill Snyder

Snyder in November 2009
Sport(s) Football
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Kansas State
Conference Big 12
Record 201–105–1
Annual salary $3,106,000 [1]
Biographical details
Born (1939-10-07) October 7, 1939
St. Joseph, Missouri
Playing career
1958 Missouri
1959–1962 William Jewell
Position(s) Quarterback, defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1962 Gallatin HS (MO) (assistant)
1964–1965 Indio HS (CA) (assistant)
1966 USC (GA)
1967–1968 Indio HS (CA)
1969–1973 Santa Ana Foothill HS (CA)
1974–1975 Austin College (OC)
1976–1978 North Texas (assistant)
1979–1988 Iowa (OC/QB)
1989–2005 Kansas State
2009–present Kansas State
Head coaching record
Overall 201–105–1 (college)
Bowls 7–10
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 Big 12 (2003, 2012)
4 Big 12 North Division (1998–2000, 2003)
Awards
3x Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year (1990, 1991, 1993)
4x Big 12 Coach of the Year (1998, 2002, 2011, 2012)
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1998)
Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1998)
AP Coach of the Year (1998)
2x Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1998, 2012)
Sporting News Coach of the Year (2011)
Woody Hayes Coach of the Year (2011)
College Football Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2015 (profile)

William David "Bill" Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the head football coach at Kansas State University. He served as head football coach at the school from 1989 to 2005, and then was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making him one of the few college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school.[2]

Snyder is in the College Football Hall of Fame and has won several conference and national coach of the year awards. He has been the head coach at Kansas State for the program's 300th, 400th, and 500th all-time wins. In recognition of his contributions to the program, the football stadium at Kansas State, Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, is named in honor of him and his family. As of October 13, 2016, Snyder has the third most wins out of any active NCAA Division 1 head coach.[3]

Early life

William David Snyder was born October 7, 1939, in St. Joseph, Missouri,[4] the son of Tom, a traveling salesman, and Marionetta Snyder. His parents divorced when he was 6; Bill and his mother moved from Salina, Kansas to St. Joseph, Missouri, where they lived in a one-room, second-floor apartment, and Marionetta worked as a sales clerk in a department store[5] while Bill's father lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Bill attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, graduating in 1957.[6][7]

Snyder attended the University of Missouri for one year[5] before enrolling at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, where he earned three letters in football for the Cardinals as a defensive back and halfback. He earned a B.A. degree from William Jewell in 1963. He earned his M.A. degree from Eastern New Mexico University in 1965.[8]

Coaching career

Snyder had his first collegiate coaching experience in 1966, serving as a graduate assistant coach for the USC Trojans. He next worked as a head coach for several years in the California high school ranks. He then served as an assistant football coach, and also coached swimming, at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1974-1975.[9] From 1976 to 1978, Snyder worked as an assistant coach at North Texas State, under Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry.

Snyder and Fry moved together to the University of Iowa in 1979, with Snyder serving as Fry's offensive coordinator for the next 10 years. He helped Fry build Iowa from a program that had not had a winning season since 1961 into a two-time Big Ten champion. Snyder was hired as the 32nd head coach of the Kansas State University Wildcats following the 1988 season.

Kansas State University: first tenure, 1989–2005

When Snyder was hired at K-State for the first time on November 24, 1988, he inherited a situation that was several times worse than the one he'd found when he arrived in Iowa with Fry. Kansas State had a cumulative record of 299–510 (.370) in 93 years of play, which was easily the most losses of any team in Division I-A at the time. The school had been to only one bowl game (the 1982 Independence Bowl), had not won a conference title since 1934 and had enjoyed four winning seasons in the previous 44 years (including two in the previous 34 years). The program had also not won a game since October 1986, going 0-26-1 in that time.

Prior to Snyder's first season in 1989, Sports Illustrated published an article about Kansas State football entitled "Futility U," which labeled the school "America's most hapless team."[10] Snyder won only one game in his first season, beating the recently renamed North Texas, but it was a significant win because it was K-State's first win in three seasons. The game was especially thrilling, with a touchdown pass coming on the last play of the game. In Snyder's second season, in 1990, the Wildcats improved to 5–6. The five wins posted by the team had been matched only twice in the prior 17 years at the school, in 1973 (5–6) and 1982 (6–5).

The 1991 season saw another breakthrough when the Wildcats finished with a winning record of 7–4 and narrowly missed a bowl bid. It was only the second winning season at Kansas State since 1970, and the team's 4–3 conference record was only the third winning conference mark since 1934. Two years later, Snyder led the Wildcats to the school's second bowl game—the 1993 Copper Bowl—and their first-ever bowl win. The season also marked the second 9-win season in school history and the team's first ranking in the final top 20 poll. The 1993 bowl game was the first of 11 consecutive bowl games, as Kansas State went to bowl games every season from 1993 to 2003—one of just seven schools to do so. K-State won six of those bowl games.

In 1996, Snyder led the Wildcats in the first Big 12 Conference football game against Texas Tech, winning 21–14.

During the 1998 season, Kansas State posted an undefeated 11–0 regular season and earned its first ever number 1 ranking in the national polls, just ten years after being named the worst program in the country by Sports Illustrated, before losing to the Texas A&M Aggies in the Big 12 Championship Game, which has been called one of the greatest games ever played which stopped them from reaching the National Championship and sent them to the Alamo Bowl where they lost and finished the season 11–2. In the 2003 season, the team won the Big 12 championship –- the school's second-ever major conference title. They beat #1 ranked Oklahoma in the 2003 Big 12 Championship Game, 35–7. Leading up to the game, many college football analysts called Oklahoma one of the best teams ever. With an 11–4 record in 2003, Kansas State also became the only team in the country to win 11 games in six of the previous seven years, and just the second program in the history of college football to win 11 games six times in a seven-year stretch.

Following disappointing seasons 2004 Kansas State Wildcats football team and 2005 Kansas State Wildcats football team, when the Wildcats went 4–7 and 5–6, respectively, Snyder retired from Kansas State on November 15, 2005, with an overall record of 136–68–1(.666). The day after Snyder announced his retirement, K-State renamed its football stadium Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in his and his family's honor. The school had originally wanted to rename it simply Bill Snyder Stadium, but when Snyder got word of the plans, he insisted that they name it after his family--"the people I care about most."[11] Ron Prince, formerly an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Virginia, was named Bill Snyder's replacement on December 5, 2005.

Snyder's first tenure at Kansas State is still considered one of the most successful rebuilding projects in collegiate history. In recognition of his rebuilding work, Hall of Fame football coach Barry Switzer once stated, "He's not the coach of the year, he's not the coach of the decade, he's the coach of the century."[12]

Kansas State University: second tenure, 2009–present

After being out of coaching for three years, on November 24, 2008, Bill Snyder was named for a second term as head football coach at Kansas State University, beginning in the 2009 season.[13] He is one of the only coaches to ever coach in a stadium named after him because it was renamed after him upon his original retirement in 2005.

In the first season of Snyder's second tenure, the team posted a 6–6 record overall and finished tied for second in the Big 12 North division with a 4–4 conference mark. In his second season in 2010, the team had a 7–6 record and played in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl against the Big East's Syracuse University at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Snyder earned his 150th win with a season opening victory over Eastern Kentucky on September 3, 2011. During the same season, Snyder became the first FBS coach to have a son (Sean) as an assistant and a grandson (Tate) playing for him at the same time. Coach Snyder led the 2011 team to a 10–2 record in the regular season, finishing second in the Big 12, and earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl was K-State's first "major" bowl since the 2004 Fiesta Bowl. They lost to The University of Arkansas 29-16. Following the season, Snyder was named Woody Hayes Coach of the Year.

In the 2012 season, Snyder led the team to its first Big 12 Conference championship since 2003. The 2012 team started the season 10–0 and reached the school's first #1 ranking in the BCS standings, before falling to the Baylor Bears in week 11. K-State represented the conference in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, losing to the fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks 35–17. Following the season, Snyder won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.

Snyder has held the head coaching position at Kansas State longer than any other coach, and his 200 career wins at KSU are more than all other KSU football coaches from 1934 to present combined (160 wins) He is far and away the winningest coach in Kansas State history (no other coach has crossed the 40-win mark). During his tenure, K-State has produced 34 AP All-Americans, 47 NFL Draft picks, and 46 first-team academic All-Americans.

On January 31, 2013, it was announced that Snyder's contract was extended through the 2017 season.[14]

Former assistants that became head coaches

Nine of Snyder's assistants have also gone on to become head coaches at other Division I schools, including: Phil Bennett (SMU), Bret Bielema (Wisconsin and Arkansas), Jim Leavitt (South Florida), Mark Mangino (Kansas), Dana Dimel (Wyoming and Houston), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma), Mike Stoops (Arizona), Carl Pelini (Florida Atlantic), Del Miller (Missouri State.)

Awards

On January 9, 2015, Snyder was announced as an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame. Snyder is only the fourth active coach to receive this honor; under current Hall of Fame rules, active coaches are eligible for induction once they turn 75.

In 1998, Snyder was recognized as the National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation and was awarded the Bear Bryant Award and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. In 2011, Snyder was named the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year and the Sporting News National Coach of the Year.[15] In 2012, Snyder won the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award for the second time in his career. Additionally, ESPN selected Snyder as its national coach of the year in 1991, and CNN selected him as its national coach of the year in 1995. He was also a finalist for the Bear Bryant Award in 1993, 1995, 2011 and 2012; a finalist for the Sporting News National Coach of the Year Award in 1995 and 1998; a finalist for the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award in 1993 and 1998; a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012; a finalist for the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award in 2012; and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award in 1993, 1995, 1998, 2011 and 2012.

In the conference, coach Snyder was selected Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year by the Associated Press three times (1990, 1991 and 1993). Snyder was also named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year four times: in 1998 (AP, coaches), 2002 (coaches), 2011 (AP, coaches) and 2012 (AP, coaches).

In 2003, Snyder was named to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). In 2006, Snyder was enshrined in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame[16] and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Controversy

Booster infraction

On February 18, 1999, Kansas State self-reported to the NCAA's Committee on Infractions that Kansas State boosters had provided a football player with money for his personal use, in violation of NCAA regulations. The committee expressly found no fault whatsoever on the part of Snyder or the institution itself, and said the institution's response to the reported violation was "exemplary." The university voluntarily disassociated itself from seven athletic boosters, and the NCAA extended an existing probation on the school for one year.[17]

Player misconduct at 2004 Fiesta Bowl

In the early morning hours of New Year's Day, 2004, police were called to the Kansas State team hotel in Paradise Valley, Arizona, by a woman who accused quarterback Ell Roberson of sexually assaulting her.[18] Roberson and the rest of the Kansas State team were in town to play Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Police did not arrest Roberson, and later determined that no crime had been committed and no charges should be filed,[19] but an investigation by the Kansas State athletic department concluded that Roberson and several other players had violated unspecified team rules.[20] As a result, Snyder stripped Roberson of his scholarship, denied the players their Fiesta Bowl rings and required them to perform community service. Snyder also issued an open letter of apology to the people of Kansas and supporters of Kansas State's football program for the conduct of his players in the days leading up to the bowl game.

Compensation

On June 19, 2009, the Kansas Board of Regents released the results of an audit that was performed by Grant Thornton LLP as an exit analysis for outgoing Kansas State president Jon Wefald. Included among the findings in the audit was that the university paid thousands of dollars to a corporation owned by Bill Snyder rather than to Snyder personally.[21] Additionally, the university made some of its payments to Snyder from a contingency fund rather than the athletic department's general operating fund.[21] The audit does not state that any of the payments were illegal, and Snyder has denied that any of the payments he received from the university, either directly or through his corporation, were improper.[22] The new university president and athletic director later released a joint letter that states, in part, "In our opinion, there are no grounds to even begin to insinuate that Coach Snyder has ever benefited improperly from his relationship with K-State."[23]

Personal life

In addition to his work as the football coach, Snyder was active in raising funds for the library at Kansas State University. He also currently serves on the Staley School Advancement Council, honorary chairman of the K-State Changing Lives Campaign, and is past president of the Friends of the Libraries organization at K-State.[24] The Staley School of Leadership Studies has also started the Bill Snyder Leadership Fellows in honor of Coach Snyder himself. In the window of retirement, Snyder invested his time in a Kansas State Department of Education endeavor called Kansas Mentors, becoming the chair.

Snyder and his wife Sharon have five children: Sean, Ross, Shannon, Meredith, and Whitney. They also have eight grandchildren.[8]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Kansas State Wildcats (Big Eight Conference) (1989–1995)
1989 Kansas State 1–10 0–7 8th
1990 Kansas State 5–6 2–5 6th
1991 Kansas State 7–4 4–3 4th
1992 Kansas State 5–6 2–5 T–6th
1993 Kansas State 9–2–1 4–2–1 3rd W Copper 18 20
1994 Kansas State 9–3 5–2 3rd L Aloha 16 19
1995 Kansas State 10–2 5–2 T–2nd W Holiday 6 7
Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 Conference) (1996–2005)
1996 Kansas State 9–3 6–2 3rd (North) L Cotton 17 17
1997 Kansas State 11–1 7–1 2nd (North) W Fiesta† 7 8
1998 Kansas State 11–2 8–0 1st (North) L Alamo 9 10
1999 Kansas State 11–1 7–1 T–1st (North) W Holiday 6 6
2000 Kansas State 11–3 6–2 T–1st (North) W Cotton 8 9
2001 Kansas State 6–6 3–5 4th (North) L Insight.com
2002 Kansas State 11–2 6–2 2nd (North) W Holiday 6 7
2003 Kansas State 11–4 6–2 1st (North) L Fiesta† 13 14
2004 Kansas State 4–7 2–6 5th (North)
2005 Kansas State 5–6 2–6 6th (North)
Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 Conference) (2009–present)
2009 Kansas State 6–6 4–4 T–2nd (North)
2010 Kansas State 7–6 3–5 T–3rd (North) L Pinstripe
2011 Kansas State 10–3 7–2 2nd L Cotton 16 15
2012 Kansas State 11–2 8–1 T–1st L Fiesta† 11 12
2013 Kansas State 8–5 5–4 5th W Buffalo Wild Wings
2014 Kansas State 9–4 7–2 3rd L Alamo 18 18
2015 Kansas State 6–7 3–6 8th L Liberty
2016 Kansas State 8–4 6–3 4th
Kansas State: 201–105–1 118–80–1
Total: 201–105–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.

Player accomplishments

During the Snyder era, Kansas State players won the following national awards:

Heisman Trophy:

All Americans: During the Snyder era, 35 different players have received All-American Honors, including 10 consensus first-team All-Americans.

†-2nd team All-American

Coaching tree

Played under:

Coached under:

Assistant coaches who became NCAA head coaches:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "NCAA Salaries". USA Today. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  2. ↑ Snyder hiring Archived December 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Winningest Active Coaches in 1-A". Coaches Hot Seat. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "Head Coach Bill Snyder". kstatefootball.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  5. 1 2 "Rivals.com - Bill Snyder: 75 & counting". rivals.com.
  6. ↑ "K-State coach Bill Snyder's success rooted in lessons learned from his mother". NewsOK.com.
  7. ↑ "St. Joseph should be proud to claim Snyder". St. Joseph News-Press and FOX 26 KNPN.
  8. 1 2 "Bill Snyder Bio - KSTATESPORTS.COM - The Official Athletic Site of Kansas State". kstatesports.com.
  9. ↑ http://www.kten.com/story/6787305/austin-college-to-honor-bill-snyder
  10. ↑ Looney, Douglas (September 4, 1989). "Futility U". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19.
  11. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (November 18, 2005), "Snyder is retiring, but K-State stadium will be in the family", USA Today, retrieved April 26, 2010
  12. ↑ "They Said It Couldn't Be Done". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  13. ↑ Snyder renamed head coach Archived December 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "Kansas State's Bill Snyder has new deal until he's nearly 80". CBSSports.com.
  15. ↑ "Kansas State's Bill Snyder named Sporting News' coach of the year". Sporting News. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  16. ↑ "Snyder, Bill (Inducted 2006)". Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  17. ↑ NCAA Infractions Report
  18. ↑ "SI.com". CNN. January 1, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Prosecutors won't press charges against Roberson". USA Today. January 8, 2004. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Ell Roberson says 'my decision on New Year's Eve caused my team to". The Topeka Capital-Journal. 2004.
  21. 1 2 "Manhattan, KS" (PDF). TheMercury.com. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  22. ↑ "News". TheMercury.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  23. ↑ Snyder's Return Gives K-State Fans Hope of Moving Forward
  24. ↑ http://www.k-state.edu/leadership

External links

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