On Nov. 30, 1988, the Kansas State Wildcats hired a 49-year-old offensive coordinator from Iowa named Bill Snyder to fill their football head coaching vacancy. Over the next 17 seasons, Snyder's Wildcats became what many deemed impossible. Namely, a national power on the gridiron and a championship football team.
On Nov. 24, 2008, those same Wildcats hired a 69-year-old coaching legend named Bill Snyder to fill the very coaching position that manned just three years prior. Guessing what Snyder's coaching future holds this time around is certainly no easy task, however that certainly isn't keeping many people from trying.
Popular opinion from several who like to make their voices heard (literally) on sports radio and (not literally) on fan message boards seems to be that putting Snyder's name on the head coaching contract means the administration is waving a white flag (again, not literally... such actions are somewhat useless in football). Their reasons are simple: Snyder is nearly 70 years old, an age when most are not looking for new employment; he's been out of the game for three years and won't be able to relate to "today's players"; Snyder's Wildcats were not successful in his final two seasons as head coach, combining for just nine wins; and there were younger candidates who would be better for the future of the program.
These arguments have varying degrees of merit (yes, I'm counting negative merit as a degree of merit), and those disappointed with Snyder hire v2.0 certainly have the right to their opinion... But that doesn't mean I agree.
Call it hokey optimism. Call it drinking the Snyder Kool-Aid*. Call it living in 1998. You can call it whatever you like (even sensible, or genius... in fact, I'd prefer that), the fact remains that I cannot be disappointed with any move that brings Snyder closer the football program he built.
*Would I buy a glass of Kool-Aid if Snyder were selling it on a streetside Kool-Aid stand for 25-cents a cup? Of course. Thus, one could say I'm buying what Snyder is selling... if only he'd actually sell Kool-Aid.
This is old news, but it's still relevant: pre-Snyder, any time the word football was associated with Kansas State on a national level, a words like futility, horrendous, or putrid were bound to be nearby. Snyder made them contenders for the national championship. Had Snyder not turned the program around, the "Decade of Dominance" out at Wagner Field, may have ended up being a decade of cattle grazing, as the football program was bad enough that folding would have been a legitmate option and the stadium sits near some fine pasture area.
The point is that Snyder is the reason K-State football became a product fans could get excited about. I'm not going to discount his chances at bringing some excitement back. Anyone who attended the final three homes games of the 2008 season could see the empty seats in Bill Snyder Family Stadium*. Did these empty seats play a role in Snyder's hiring?** After all, the athletic department has seen first hand what bringing in nationally-renowned coach can do for attendance (see: Huggins, Bob, and the K-State men's basketball team).***
*Has a football coach coached in a stadium bearing his own name before? Inquiring minds want to know.
**Rhetorical question.
***Rhetorical followup.
Along with excitement, Snyder's return from retirement brings another thing the program is in need of: hope. Yes, that's back on the hokey side of the fence, but any time a team's stadium is only half full for the season finale, it seems like it might be the right time for a hope booster. Those sick of the hokey arguments simply need to remember the guy's resume. He's been named National Coach of the Year and Big 8/12 Conference Coach of the Year, he's been inducted into the sports hall of fame in two states, and he has six bowl victories. I'll give that a second chance.
I have dabbled as a journalist in the past (although an admittedly lousy one), but it's a move like this that makes me remember that I'm definitely a fan first. Prior to the news of Snyder's hiring leaking, I was trying to view this entire coaching search objectively. I examined the positive and negatives of possible candidates and was trying to keep an open mind to the slew of available options. Now that I know Snyder will be once again walking the sidelines, it's been a barrage of one nostalgic thought after another. Will he bring back the pregame Van Halen? Does he still sport the Nike Cortez shoes? Will "young people" and "by and large" once again be staples of his press conference lingo?
It's a move like this that has me scrambling to YouTube so I can check out videos like this or this, reminding me of the days when there was a confident feeling surrounding every game. There was a swagger, and it was one that could be backed up.
The journalist side of me asks the question, "Does it really seem feasible that a man pushing 70 can get the program back to the point where it competes for championships?"
The fan side of me responds by saying, "Why don't you shut up and go proofread something!"
It may not seem like a great comeback to some, but my mind is pretty sold on who won the argument.
Is a dose of Coach Snyder the prescription K-State football needs to return to national prominence? Or will the second Snyder era be one that ends in disappointment and another coaching search where an answer is sought? Only time will tell...
For me, there's only one way to pass the time.
On Nov. 24, 2008, those same Wildcats hired a 69-year-old coaching legend named Bill Snyder to fill the very coaching position that manned just three years prior. Guessing what Snyder's coaching future holds this time around is certainly no easy task, however that certainly isn't keeping many people from trying.
Popular opinion from several who like to make their voices heard (literally) on sports radio and (not literally) on fan message boards seems to be that putting Snyder's name on the head coaching contract means the administration is waving a white flag (again, not literally... such actions are somewhat useless in football). Their reasons are simple: Snyder is nearly 70 years old, an age when most are not looking for new employment; he's been out of the game for three years and won't be able to relate to "today's players"; Snyder's Wildcats were not successful in his final two seasons as head coach, combining for just nine wins; and there were younger candidates who would be better for the future of the program.
These arguments have varying degrees of merit (yes, I'm counting negative merit as a degree of merit), and those disappointed with Snyder hire v2.0 certainly have the right to their opinion... But that doesn't mean I agree.
Call it hokey optimism. Call it drinking the Snyder Kool-Aid*. Call it living in 1998. You can call it whatever you like (even sensible, or genius... in fact, I'd prefer that), the fact remains that I cannot be disappointed with any move that brings Snyder closer the football program he built.
*Would I buy a glass of Kool-Aid if Snyder were selling it on a streetside Kool-Aid stand for 25-cents a cup? Of course. Thus, one could say I'm buying what Snyder is selling... if only he'd actually sell Kool-Aid.
This is old news, but it's still relevant: pre-Snyder, any time the word football was associated with Kansas State on a national level, a words like futility, horrendous, or putrid were bound to be nearby. Snyder made them contenders for the national championship. Had Snyder not turned the program around, the "Decade of Dominance" out at Wagner Field, may have ended up being a decade of cattle grazing, as the football program was bad enough that folding would have been a legitmate option and the stadium sits near some fine pasture area.
The point is that Snyder is the reason K-State football became a product fans could get excited about. I'm not going to discount his chances at bringing some excitement back. Anyone who attended the final three homes games of the 2008 season could see the empty seats in Bill Snyder Family Stadium*. Did these empty seats play a role in Snyder's hiring?** After all, the athletic department has seen first hand what bringing in nationally-renowned coach can do for attendance (see: Huggins, Bob, and the K-State men's basketball team).***
*Has a football coach coached in a stadium bearing his own name before? Inquiring minds want to know.
**Rhetorical question.
***Rhetorical followup.
Along with excitement, Snyder's return from retirement brings another thing the program is in need of: hope. Yes, that's back on the hokey side of the fence, but any time a team's stadium is only half full for the season finale, it seems like it might be the right time for a hope booster. Those sick of the hokey arguments simply need to remember the guy's resume. He's been named National Coach of the Year and Big 8/12 Conference Coach of the Year, he's been inducted into the sports hall of fame in two states, and he has six bowl victories. I'll give that a second chance.
I have dabbled as a journalist in the past (although an admittedly lousy one), but it's a move like this that makes me remember that I'm definitely a fan first. Prior to the news of Snyder's hiring leaking, I was trying to view this entire coaching search objectively. I examined the positive and negatives of possible candidates and was trying to keep an open mind to the slew of available options. Now that I know Snyder will be once again walking the sidelines, it's been a barrage of one nostalgic thought after another. Will he bring back the pregame Van Halen? Does he still sport the Nike Cortez shoes? Will "young people" and "by and large" once again be staples of his press conference lingo?
It's a move like this that has me scrambling to YouTube so I can check out videos like this or this, reminding me of the days when there was a confident feeling surrounding every game. There was a swagger, and it was one that could be backed up.
The journalist side of me asks the question, "Does it really seem feasible that a man pushing 70 can get the program back to the point where it competes for championships?"
The fan side of me responds by saying, "Why don't you shut up and go proofread something!"
It may not seem like a great comeback to some, but my mind is pretty sold on who won the argument.
Is a dose of Coach Snyder the prescription K-State football needs to return to national prominence? Or will the second Snyder era be one that ends in disappointment and another coaching search where an answer is sought? Only time will tell...
For me, there's only one way to pass the time.
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