Kansas State Wildcats
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| Kansas State Wildcats | |
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| University | Kansas State University |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big 12 |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Tim Weiser |
| Location | Manhattan, KS |
| Varsity Teams | 16 |
| Stadium | Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium |
| Arena | Bramlage Coliseum |
| Mascot | Willie the Wildcat |
| Nickname | Wildcats |
| Colors | Purple and White |
| Homepage | www.kstatesports.com |
Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats, and their official color is royal purple; white and silver are generally used as complimentary colors. Kansas State participates in the NCAA's Division 1A and in the Big 12 Conference. Sports sponsored by the university include football, basketball, cross country and track, baseball, golf, tennis (women's), rowing (women's), equestrian (women's), and volleyball (women's).
Kansas State competed in the Missouri Valley Conference from 1913 to 1928; the Big Six Conference from 1928 to 1947; the Big Seven Conference from 1947 to 1958; the Big Eight Conference from 1958 to 1996, and is now a member of the Big 12 Conference. Entering the 2006-2007 school year, Kansas State has captured 54 total conference championships through the years.
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[edit] Administration
Athletic Directors of note at Kansas State University include:
| Z.G. Clevenger | (1916-1920); first Athletic Director, member of College Football Hall of Fame |
| Mike Ahearn | (1920-1947); considered "Father of Kansas State Athletics" |
| H.B. "Bebe" Lee | (1956-1969); member of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame |
| Ernie Barrett | (1969-1975); known as "Mr. K-State" |
| DeLoss Dodds | (1978-1981) |
| Steve Miller | (1988-1992) |
| Tim Weiser | (2001-present) |
[edit] Basketball
The baskeball teams currently play in Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas.
[edit] Men's basketball
Kansas State's men's basketball team began competition in 1902. The program has a long history of success. The first two conference titles captured by the school were won in the sport, in 1917 and 1919. Kansas State has gone on to capture 17 conference crowns in the sport.
Through the years the team earned the right to participate in 22 NCAA basketball tournaments. Kansas State's best finish at the tournament came in 1951, when it played the University of Kentucky for the national championship. The school has reached the Final Four four times, the Elite Eight 11 times, and the Sweet Sixteen 16 times. Included among K-State's tournament wins are some all-time classics, including a 50-48 win over second-ranked Oregon State University in 1981, and a 83-80 win over Oscar Robertson's University of Cincinnati team in 1958, which Sports Illustrated called "the game of the year."
The best season in the school's history may have been 1959, when the team finished the season ranked Number 1 in the Associated Press Poll. K-State has finished ranked in the Top Ten of the poll on six other occasions, and in the top twenty twelve total times. The team has also posted a winning record at home every year since 1946. In the 1990s, however, the program faded from the national scene, and K-State has not participated in the NCAA Tournament since 1996.
K-State's biggest rivalry in basketball is the Sunflower Showdown matchup against the University of Kansas.
A number of notable and successful coaches have led the Wildcats through the years. The most successful are:
- Z.G. Clevenger – (1916-1920); 54-17 (.761)
- Fred "Tex" Winter – (1953-1968); 262-117 (.691)
- Guy Lowman – (1911-1914); 34-16 (.680)
- Jack Gardner – (1939-1942; 1946-1953); 147-81 (.645); Member of Naismith Hall of Fame
- Lon Kruger – (1986-1990); 81-47 (.633)
- Cotton Fitzsimmons – (1968-1970); 34-20 (.630)
- Bob Huggins – (2006-present)
[edit] Women's basketball
Kansas State's women's basketball team began intercollegiate competition in 1968. The team is among the top 15 all-time winningest programs in the NCAA.
The women's team has participated in 14 total NCAA basketball tournaments and AIAW tournaments (pre-NCAA). It has reached the Sweet Sixteen 9 times and Elite Eight twice. K-State has finished ranked in the Top Ten of the AP Poll on three occasions (1984, 2003, 2004), and in the top twenty nine total times. Following the 2005-2006 season, Kansas State was crowned champion of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
[edit] Football
The team currently plays in Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
The football team began play in 1893. The program had some shining moments in the 1920s and 1930s, including a Big Six Conference championship in 1934. Nevertheless, Kansas State was historically the worst program in the NCAA until 1989, when the athletic department hired Bill Snyder as head coach.
[edit] Bill Snyder era
In Bill Snyder's fifth season at the helm, in 1993, Kansas State posted the first victory in a bowl game in school history. Success and high rankings continued over the next decade, including six top-ten finishes in the AP Poll and a perfect (11-0) regular season in 1998. As the team improved, recruiting also improved, and Snyder was able to bring in athletes such as quarterback Michael Bishop, the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1998, and running back Darren Sproles, who led the nation in rushing in 2003. The run of success culminated in a Big 12 Conference championship in 2003.
In his 17 years as head coach at K-State, Snyder became the school's all-time winningest football coach (136 wins) and led Kansas State to eleven consecutive bowl games (1993-2003), including six wins. Snyder's legacy at K-State also includes winning or sharing four Big 12 North titles.
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 Foundation Award. Coach Snyder was also selected Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year by the Associated Press three times (1990, 1991 and 1993), joining Bob Devaney as the only two men in Big Eight history to be named Coach of the Year three times in a four-year period. Snyder was named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year twice, in 1998 (Associated Press, coaches) and 2002 (coaches).
The winning attitude under former coach Snyder was represented by a stylized wildcat, called the "Powercat" (shown at top), that was added to the football team's uniforms in 1989. The emblem became so popular that by the late 1990s it had virtually replaced "Willie the Wildcat," a character designed by art department students in the late 1950s.
Snyder retired following the 2005 season, and on December 5, 2005, Ron Prince was named the new head coach. Prince was formerly an assistant coach and offensive line coach at the University of Virginia.
[edit] 2006 season
In his first year at the helm of the Wildcats, Prince has led Kansas State to bowl elgibility and its first winning season since 2003 season. The signature win of the season thus far is a 45-42 upset victory over #4-ranked University of Texas on November 11, 2006.
[edit] Bowl games
Kansas State has participated in 12 bowl games, with an overall record of 6-6. Kansas State had a streak of 11 straight bowl game appearances that was snapped in the 2004 season.
| Date | Result | Bowl | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12-11-1982 | L | Independence Bowl | University of Wisconsin | 3 – 14 |
| 12-29-1993 | W | Copper Bowl | University of Wyoming | 52 – 7 |
| 12-25-1994 | L | Aloha Bowl | Boston College | 7 – 12 |
| 12-29-1995 | W | Holiday Bowl | Colorado State University | 54 – 21 |
| 1-1-1997 | L | Cotton Bowl | Brigham Young University | 15 – 19 |
| 12-31-1997 | W | Fiesta Bowl | Syracuse University | 35 – 18 |
| 12-29-1998 | L | Alamo Bowl | Purdue University | 34 – 37 |
| 12-29-1999 | W | Holiday Bowl | University of Washington | 24 – 20 |
| 1-1-2001 | W | Cotton Bowl | University of Tennessee | 35 – 21 |
| 12-29-2001 | L | Insight.com Bowl | Syracuse University | 3 – 26 |
| 12-27-2002 | W | Holiday Bowl | Arizona State University | 34 – 27 |
| 1-2-2004 | L | Fiesta Bowl | Ohio State University | 28 – 35 |
[edit] Track and field
Kansas State began competing in track and field in 1904.
In the first 100 years of the program (through the end of the 2004-2005 season), 30 K-State athletes have won individual NCAA national championships. The program also produced 104 women's outdoor All-Americans, 63 men's outdoor All-Americans, 64 women's indoor All-Americans, and 81 men's indoor All-Americans. Thirteen athletes have attended 18 Olympics and have won seven medals.
Legendary coach Ward Haylett, who is enshrined in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, left a strong imprint on the Kansas State program. He was head coach at the school from 1928-1963.
[edit] Volleyball
The team currently plays in Ahearn Field House in Manhattan, Kansas.
Kansas State's women's volleyball team began intercollegiate competition in 1974. The team is among the all-time winningest programs in the NCAA.
The team participated in 10 consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1996 to 2005. K-State also participated in the AIAW tournament in 1977. K-State has finished ranked in the top twenty of the AVCA poll four times, and in the top 25 nine times.
[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] External links
| Big 12 Conference |
|---|
| North Division: Colorado Buffaloes • Iowa State Cyclones • Kansas Jayhawks • Kansas State Wildcats • Missouri Tigers • Nebraska Cornhuskers South Division: Baylor Bears • Oklahoma Sooners • Oklahoma State Cowboys • Texas Longhorns • Texas A&M Aggies • Texas Tech Red Raiders |
