Kansas State was recently recognized for running the most profitable athletic department in the country. The Wildcats, under athletic director John Currie, were able to generate a net income of about $23 million and an overall surplus of more than $20 million.
Not coincidentally, the Wildcats were also successful on the field as well. Football coach Bill Snyder, now in his second tenure with K-State after leading the Wildcats to unprecedented success from 1989-2005, had Kansas State back among the nation’s elite with a 10-3 record that included a No. 8 ranking in the final BCS standings and the school’s first trip to the Cotton Bowl since 2001. Snyder has accumulated a 159-81-1 record during his tenure at Kansas State, including a plus-25 game mark in the Big 12. Before Snyder took over the program for the ’89 season, the Wildcats were in the midst of a 27-game winless streak.
Kansas State men’s basketball has also enjoyed great success under Bob Huggins protégé Frank Martin, who guided the Wildcats to NCAA tournament trips in four of his five seasons there before moving on to South Carolina. Under Martin, Kansas State was one of only nine programs in the country to reach the NCAA tournament round of 32 in four out of the last five years.
Bruce Weber, who led Illinois to the national championship game in 2005, looks to continue that trend. Weber has compiled a 313-155 record in 14 seasons as a head coach, including making eight trips to the NCAA tournament at Southern Illinois a
Kansas State is the oldest public university in the state of Kansas and was founded during the Civil War in 1863 as part of the Morrill Act.
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nd Illinois. Weber is currently 28th among active NCAA coaches with a .669 winning percentage.
Like men’s basketball, the K-State women’s program has also enjoyed considerable success under veteran coach Deb Patterson. Last year, Patterson led the Wildcats to a 20-14 record and another trip to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the second round to Connecticut.
Patterson has twice been named Big 12 coach of the year in 2002 and 2008 and owns a career 302-175 record. Patterson has led Kansas State to nine NCAA tournament appearances and seven of her former players have gone on to play in the WNBA.
Kansas State Bowl Game History 2012, Cotton Bowl vs. Arkansas (L) 2010, Pinstripe Bowl vs. Syracuse (L) 2006, Texas Bowl vs. Rutgers (L) 2004, Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State (L) 2002, Holiday Bowl vs. Arizona State (W) 2001, Insight.com Bowl vs. Syracuse (L) 2001, Cotton Bowl vs. Tennessee (W) 1999, Holiday Bowl vs. Washington (W) 1998, Alamo Bowl vs. Purdue (L) 1997, Fiesta Bowl vs. Syracuse (W) 1997, Cotton Bowl vs. BYU (L) 1995, Holiday Bowl vs. Colorado State (W) 1994, Aloha Bowl vs. Boston College (L) 1993, Copper Bowl vs. Wyoming (W) 1982, Independence Bowl vs. Wisconsin (L)
NFL First-Round Draft Picks 2009, Josh Freeman, QB (Tampa Bay) 2003, Terence Newman, CB (Dallas) 1997, Chris Canty, DB (New England) 1971, Clarence Scott, DB (Cleveland) 1954, Veryl Switzer, RB (Green Bay)
Men’s Basketball:
Naismith Hall of Fame: Jack Gardner
Kansas State NCAA Tournament History 2012 2011 2010, Elite Eight 2008 1996 1993 1990 1989 1988, Elite Eight 1987 1982, Sweet 16 1981, Elite Eight 1980 1977, Sweet 16 1975, Elite Eight 1973, Elite Eight 1972, Elite Eight 1970, Sweet 16 1968, Sweet 16 1964, NCAA Final Four 1961, Elite Eight 1959, Elite Eight 1958, NCAA Final Four 1956, Sweet 16 1951, NCAA Finals 1948, NCAA Final Four
NBA First-Round Draft Picks 2008, Michael Beasley (Miami) 1988, Mitch Richmond (Golden State) 1981, Rolando Blackman (Dallas) 1978, Mike Evans (Denver) 1976, Chuckie Williams (Cleveland) 1959, Bob Boozer (Cincinnati) * 1951, Ernie Barrett (Boston) 1949, Howie Shannon (Providence)
KANSAS STATE-WEST VIRGINIA CONNECTIONS: Two-time Kansas State consensus All-American forward Bob Boozer and West Virginia University great Jerry West were members of the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won a Gold medal at the 1960 Games in Rome. That U.S. team won all eight games by an average margin of 42.4 points per game.
DID YOU KNOW?: Kansas State is the oldest public university in the state of Kansas and was founded during the Civil War in 1863 as part of the Morrill Act. Since 1986, Kansas State ranks first nationally among state universities in its total of Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars with 124 recipients.
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Michael Fragale, Julie Brown, Chris Ostien and Alyssa Casalino also contributed to this report
