William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the position from 2006 to 2008 before being rehired. Snyder retired for the second time on December 2, 2018 and is serving as a special ambassador for the athletics department. Snyder was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015 and won several conference and national coach of the year awards. He was 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, Kansas State has named its home field the

Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium Bill Snyder Family Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. It is used for American football, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team. It is named after the family of head coach Bill Snyder. Over the past 31 ...

Early life

Snyder was born October 7, 1939, in St. Joseph, Missouri, the son of Tom, a traveling salesman, and Marionetta Snyder. His parents divorced when he was six; Snyder and his mother moved from

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

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 while Bill's father lived in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Snyder attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, graduating in 1957. Snyder attended the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

for one year before enrolling at

William Jewell College William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...

in Liberty, Missouri, where he earned three letters in football for the Cardinals as a defensive back and halfback. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from William Jewell in 1963. He earned his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree from

Eastern New Mexico University Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU or Eastern) is a public university with a main campus in Portales, New Mexico, and two associate degree-granting branches, one at Ruidoso and one at Roswell. ENMU is New Mexico's largest regional comprehensiv ...

in 1965.

Coaching career

Snyder had his first collegiate coaching experience in 1966, serving as a graduate assistant coach for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...

. 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 Sherman is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas. The city's population in 2020 was 43,645. It is one of the two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison metropolitan statistical area, and it is part of the Texoma region ...

, from 1974 to 1975. From 1976 to 1978, Snyder worked as an assistant coach at

North Texas State The University of North Texas (UNT) is a Public university, public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private Normal school, teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 y ...

, under Hall of Fame coach

Hayden Fry John Hayden Fry (February 28, 1929 – December 17, 2019) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1962 to 1972, North Texas State University—now known ...

. Snyder and Fry moved together to the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

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 The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

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 () 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 54 years (including two in the previous 34 years). The program also had not won a game since October 26, 1986, going 0–26–1 in that time. Prior to Snyder's first season in 1989, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'' published an article about Kansas State football entitled "Futility U," which labeled the school "America's most hapless team." In hopes of distancing K-State from its losing history, Snyder had art professor Tom Brookhalter create a new logo for the team's helmets, a stylized wildcat's head known as the "Powercat." Snyder won only one game in his first season, beating the recently renamed

North Texas North Texas (also commonly called North Central Texas) is a term used primarily by residents of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding areas to describe much of the north central portion of the U.S. state of Texas. Residents of the Dallas–Fort Wo ...

, 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 1993

Copper Bowl The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989. Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...

. It was the school's second bowl game, its first bowl win and the first of its 11 consecutive bowl appearances from 1993 to 2003—of which it won six—a streak matched by only six other teams. The 1993 season also marked the second nine-win season in school history and the team's first ranking in a final media poll. During the 1995 season, Snyder led the Wildcats to the first 10-win season in school history. They also finished sixth in the AP Poll and seventh in the Coaches' Poll–their first top-ten finish in school history. This included a 41-7 thrashing of then-No. 6

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

in what is still the only Governor's Cup between two ranked teams. That win was also Snyder's 40th victory at K-State, vaulting him past

Mike Ahearn Michael Francis Ahearn (November 28, 1878 – February 5, 1948) was a British-American athlete and college athletics administrator. Ahearn played and coached American football, basketball, and baseball, and was a college professor and athletics ad ...

to become the winningest coach in school history. Having never before won 11 games in a season, the Wildcats hit their stride from 1997 to 2000 with four consecutive 11-win seasons. By this time, the "Powercat" had all but replaced Kansas State's longtime mascot, " Willie the Wildcat," whose costume was redesigned to resemble the Powercat head. During the 1998 season, Kansas State posted an undefeated 11–0 regular season and earned its first number 1 ranking in the national polls, just ten years after being named the worst program in the country by ''Sports Illustrated.'' They lost to the Texas A&M Aggies in the Big 12 Championship Game, which has been called one of the greatest games played. The loss 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 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

championship — the school's second major conference title and their first since 1934. At the time, the 69-year gap between conference titles was the longest in Division I history. They beat #1 ranked Oklahoma in the

2003 Big 12 Championship Game The 2003 Big 12 Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 6, 2003, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. This was the 8th Big 12 Championship Game and determined the 2003 champion of the Big 12 Conference. The g ...

, 35–7. Leading up to the game, many college football analysts called Oklahoma one of the best teams. 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 in 2004 and 2005, 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 (.667). Not only did this make him far and away the winningest coach in Kansas State history, but his 136 wins were as many as his combined predecessors had won in the 54 years prior to his arrival. The day after Snyder announced his retirement, K-State renamed its 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." Ron Prince, formerly an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

, 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 Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...

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."

Kansas State University: second tenure, 2009–2018

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. He is one of the few coaches to coach in a stadium or arena that is named for him; as previously mentioned, the former KSU Stadium was renamed for him on the day after he announced his original retirement. 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 The Pinstripe Bowl is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football bowl game that is held at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York City. First played in 2010, the game is organized ...

against the Big East's Syracuse University at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...

in New York City. 2017-0718-Big12MD-BillSnyder

Snyder earned his 150th win with a season opening victory over

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

on September 3, 2011. During the same season, Snyder became the first FBS coach to have a son (

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

) 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 The 2004 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 2, 2004, was the 33rd edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game pitted #7 Ohio State against #8 Kansas State. It was a match-up between a perennial powerhouse in Ohio State, and a school that was only ...

. 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 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

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 The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...

35–17. Following the season, Snyder won the

Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award is an annual college football award given to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision head coach whose team excels on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. The award is named for Bobby Dodd, ...

. Snyder has held the head coaching position at Kansas State longer than any other coach. His 215 wins are not only far and away the most in KSU history (no one else has reached 40 wins), but also more than all other KSU football coaches from 1928 to present combined (189 wins). During his tenure, K-State 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. On August 9, 2018 it was announced that Bill Snyder had signed a 5-year extension that will run through the 2022 season, worth $3.45 million with $300,000 bonuses, and incentives with them to be determined after 2 years. On December 2, 2018, Snyder announced his retirement from coaching college football. Snyder finished his career with Kansas State with 215 victories and two Big 12 championships. He has accounted for over 40 percent of Kansas State's all-time wins as of 2018.

Former assistants who became head coaches

Eleven of Snyder's assistants have gone on to become head coaches at other Division I schools, including:

Phil Bennett Philip Bennett (24 October 1948 – 12 June 2022) was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken ...

( SMU),

Bret Bielema Bret Arnold Bielema (; born January 13, 1970) is currently the head American football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bielema served as the head football coach at of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2006 to 2012 ...

(

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Jim Leavitt James Pierce Leavitt (born December 5, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from the football program's inception in 1997 until 2009, compiling a record of 95–57. ...

( South Florida),

Mark Mangino Mark Thomas Mangino (born August 26, 1956) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Kansas from 2002 to 2009. In 2007, Mangino received several national coach of the year honors after leading ...

(

Dana Dimel Dana August Dimel (born October 9, 1962) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head coach at the University of Texas El Paso. Previously he was the co- offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Kansas State ...

(

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stu ...

and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

), Bob Stoops ( Oklahoma),

Mike Stoops Michael Joseph Stoops (born December 13, 1961) is an American football coach and former player, who is the inside linebackers coach at the University of Kentucky. Stoops also served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona from 20 ...

(

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Carl Pelini Carl Anthony Pelini (born July 15, 1965) is an American football coach. He served as defensive coordinator at Youngstown State University for the 2019 season. Pelini previously served as the head coach of Florida Atlantic from 2012 to 2013. He i ...

( Florida Atlantic), Del Miller ( Missouri State),

Nick Quartaro Nick Quartaro (born October 5, 1955) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the football team at the University of North Texas. Quartaro served as the head football coac ...

( Fordham), and Brent Venables ( Oklahoma)

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 The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

and the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

and was awarded the Bear Bryant Award and the

. In 2011, Snyder was named the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year and the ''Sporting News'' National Coach of the Year. In 2012, Snyder won the

Bobby Dodd Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compil ...

Coach of the Year Award for the second time in his career. Additionally,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

selected Snyder as its national coach of the year in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, and

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

selected him as its national coach of the year in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

. 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 The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award was an annual college football award given to the a head coach from each NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics amon ...

in 2011 and 2012; a finalist for the

Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award The Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award was a college football award given annually to the nation's best head coach. Established in 2009, Nick Saban was the award's first recipient. The trophy commemorates former Florida State ...

in 2012; and a finalist for the

Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members i ...

award in 1993, 1995, 1998, 2011 and 2012. In the conference, coach Snyder was selected Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year by the

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 The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

(AFCA). In 2006, Snyder was enshrined in the

Kansas Sports Hall of Fame The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is a museum located in Wichita, dedicated to preserving the history of sports in the state of Kansas. The museum provides exhibits, archives, facilities, services, and activities to honor those individuals and te ...

and the

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the Hall of Fame is housed in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. On display are more than 4, ...

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. 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:

, Ross, Shannon, Meredith, and Whitney. They also have eight grandchildren.

Head coaching record

Player accomplishments

During the Snyder era(s), Kansas State players won the following national awards: *

Jack Tatum Trophy The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More th ...

(''Nation's top defensive back'') – Chris Canty, 1996 *

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...

(''Nation's outstanding kicker'') –

Martín Gramática Martín Gramática (born November 27, 1975) is an Argentine-born former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints. He played c ...

, 1997 * Davey O'Brien Award (''Nation's top quarterback'') – Michael Bishop, 1998 *

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...

(''Nation's outstanding defensive back'') – Terence Newman, 2002 *

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...

(''Nation's outstanding senior quarterback'') – Collin Klein, 2012 *

Kellen Moore Award The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More th ...

(''Nation's top quarterback'') – Collin Klein, 2012 *

Jet Award The Jet Award, named in honor of 1972 Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers, is awarded to the top return specialist in college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams ...

(''Top return specialist'') -

Tyler Lockett Tyler Deron Lockett (born September 28, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college f ...

, 2014 Heisman Trophy: * Michael Bishop, finished second in the 1998 Heisman Trophy voting. *

Darren Sproles Darren Lee Sproles (born June 20, 1983) is an American football executive and former running back and return specialist who is a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football ...

finished fifth in the 2003 Heisman Trophy voting. * Collin Klein finished third in the 2012 Heisman Trophy voting All Americans: During the Snyder era, 37 different players have received All-American Honors, including 10 consensus first-team All-Americans. * Sean Snyder (P) 1992 *

Andre Coleman Andre Clintonian Coleman (born September 19, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He played professionally for five seasons as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers, the Pittsburgh ...

(KR) 1993† * Jaime Mendez (DB) 1993 * Thomas Randolph (DB) 1993 *

Chad May Chad May (born September 28, 1971) is a former American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League in 1995 and the Arizona Cardinals in 1996. He joined the World League of American Football's Frankfurt Galaxy ...

(QB) 1994 *

Barrett Brooks Barrett Charles Brooks (born May 5, 1972) is a former American football offensive tackle. He recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was part of their Super Bowl XL win against the Seattle Seahawks. H ...

(OL) 1995† * Tim Colston (DL) 1995 * Percell Gaskins (LB) 1995† * Chris Canty (DB) 1995–1996 * Todd Weiner (OL) 1997† *

(PK) 1997–1998 * Michael Bishop (QB) 1998 *

Jarrod Cooper Jarrod Alexander Cooper (born March 31, 1978) is a former American football safety with the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers. He was drafted by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State. ...

(DB) 1998† * Jeff Kelly (LB) 1998 * David Allen (PR) 1998–1999 *

Mark Simoneau Mark Lee Simoneau (born January 16, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for Kansas State University and was r ...

(LB) 1998†–1999 * Lamar Chapman (DB) 1999† *

Aaron Lockett Aaron Lockett (1 December 1892 – 10 February 1965) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football in the Football League for Port Vale, and also appeared for Stoke and Stafford Rangers. He played cricket for Staffordshire betwe ...

(WR/KR/PR) 2000† *

Quincy Morgan Quincy Demond Earl Morgan (born September 23, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos. With the Steelers, he won ...

(WR) 2000 * Jamie Rheem (PK) 2000 *

Mario Fatafehi Mario Fatafehi (born January 27, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. His professional career involved stints with the Arizona Cardinals, the Carolina Panthers and the Denv ...

(DL) 2000 * Terence Newman (DB) 2002 *

Nick Leckey Nicholas Nathan Leckey (born March 12, 1982) is a former American football Center (American football), center who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played c ...

(OL) 2002–2003 *

(RB) 2003 *

Josh Buhl Josh Buhl (born May 4, 1981) is a former American football linebacker. He played collegiately at Kansas State and had a brief professional career. High school Buhl attended North Mesquite High School in Mesquite, Texas and was a high school tea ...

(LB) 2003 * William Powell (KR) 2010 *

(KR/WR) 2011, 2013†, 2014 * Collin Klein (QB) 2012† *

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...

(LB) 2012 * Ryan Mueller (DL) 2013† * Ty Zimmerman (DB) 2013† *

Morgan Burns Morgan Scott Burns (born May 19, 1993) is a former American football cornerback for the Kansas State Wildcats. In 2015, he won the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year. He signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans a ...

(KR), 2015 * Jordan Willis (DE), 2016† †-2nd team All-American

Coaching tree

Played under: *

Dan Devine Daniel John Devine (December 23, 1924 – May 9, 2002) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Arizona State University from 1955 to 1957, the University of Missouri from 1958 to 1970, and the Universi ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Coached under: * John McKay, USC *

Larry Kramer Laurence David Kramer (June 25, 1935May 27, 2020) was an American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, and gay rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to Lo ...

, Austin *

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

Assistant coaches who became college or NFL head coaches: *

, SMU (2002–2007),

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

(2010) *

(2007–2012),

(2013–2017),

(2021-present) *

(1997–1999),

(2000–2002),

(2018–present) *

, South Florida (1997–2009) *

(2002–2009) *

Manny Matsakis Manny Matsakis (born Emmanouel M. Matsakis; April 16, 1962) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at Defiance College, a position he held from 2018 to 2021. Matsakis has also served as the h ...

, Emporia State (1995–1998),

Texas State Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

(2003),

Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...

(2013–2014) * Del Miller, Missouri State (1995–1998) *

, Florida Atlantic (2012–2013) *

Ricky Rahne Ricky Rahne (born July 19, 1980) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at Old Dominion University. He played college football at Cornell. Early life A native of Morrison, Colorado, Rahne attended Bear ...

Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...

(2020-present) *

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...

: New York Jets (2009–2014), Buffalo Bills (2015–2016) * Bob Stoops, Oklahoma (1999–2016) *

(2004–2011) *

Eric Wolford Eric Wolford is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive line coach at the University of Alabama. Wolford previously served as the offensive line coach at the University of Kentucky in 2021. He was the head footb ...

, Youngstown State (2010–2014) * Brent Venables, Oklahoma (2022-present) * Tim Beck,

Coastal Carolina Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

(2023-present)

References

External links

Kansas State profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Snyder, Bill 1939 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football quarterbacks Austin Kangaroos football coaches Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches Kansas State Wildcats football coaches Missouri Tigers football players North Texas Mean Green football coaches USC Trojans football coaches William Jewell Cardinals football players High school football coaches in California High school football coaches in Missouri College Football Hall of Fame inductees Eastern New Mexico University alumni Sportspeople from St. Joseph, Missouri Coaches of American football from Missouri Players of American football from Missouri