Kansas State Football: Bill Snyder retiring after 27 seasons

MANHATTAN, KS - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Bill Snyder (C) of the Kansas State Wildcats gets carried off the field, after winning his 200th career game against the Kansas Jayhawks on November 26, 2016 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Bill Snyder is officially retiring from Kansas State football after 27 seasons at the helm. The announcement was made on Sunday afternoon.

After a rough 5-7 season for Kansas State football, questions arose about the future of Bill Snyder as the head coach of the program. On Sunday, that question was answered, as Snyder has announced his retirement as the head coach of K-State football.

Snyder coached at Kansas State for 27 years, though not all strung together. He initially retired after 2005, but returned to Manhattan in 2009 after Ron Prince didn’t exactly lead the program to greatness when taking over as head coach.

Snyder finished his 27-year career with a 215-117-1 record and appeared in 19 bowl games with the program, posting a 9-10 bowl record. Snyder was one of a kind for Kansas State and there will never be another coach like him.

📝 on Coach Snyder’s retirement from #KStateFB https://t.co/ewIYc2G25k
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) December 2, 2018

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Before Snyder initially took over the program in 1989, the Kansas State Wildcats were not at football. They were embarrassing to watch and rarely had success. Snyder changed all of that. He made the Wildcats relevant on a yearly basis and whoever steps into his role moving forward will have a tough time filling his shoes.

So, now what? Does Bill Snyder get his way and have his son Sean Snyder take over as the head coach in 2019? Does K-State look for other options? It’ll be an interesting next few months for Kansas State, but they can’t wait too long to bring in someone new, as recruiting is underway and it’s important for them to get someone hired so the recruits know what they’re stepping into.

While this past season left something to be desired, Bill Snyder will leave Kansas State as the all-time great. There’s no one that even comes close to doing what he did in Manhattan, at least not when it comes to football. He turned a bad program into a respectable one and K-State fans won’t forget that.

The 2011 and 2012 seasons were two of the best under Snyder, as the team won double digit games both years and appeared in big time bowl games. They lost both of those, but the journey to the top both years was absolutely memorable for Wildcat fans.

While we’ll all be glued to social media and sports talk shows seeing what direction the Cats decide to go in next with their head coach, it can’t be said enough how important Bill Snyder was to Kansas State football. Thanks for everything, Coach!

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