Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium
Encyclopedia
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium is a stadium
in Manhattan, Kansas
. It is primarily used for American football
, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team
. It is named after head coach Bill Snyder
and his family. Since 1990, K-State is 113-26-1 (.807) at home.
, which hosted Kansas State football games since 1922 (and is still standing today). The first game played at the new stadium was on September 21, 1968 – Kansas State shut out Colorado State
21-0.
In 1970, 4,000 permanent bleacher seats were added to the east side and 3,000 temporary seats on the west side. Also that year, an AstroTurf
playing field was installed in place of natural grass.
Over the next two decades, the stadium received only periodic updates. First, the original turf was replaced in 1980 with a product called Superturf, and lights were installed prior to the 1983 season. In 1988, the south end of the stadium was partially enclosed when the new Bramlage Coliseum
was completed. A large reception room inside the coliseum now overlooks the south end of the stadium. Finally, prior to the 1991 season, another new artificial playing surface was installed and the playing field was named Wagner Field for the Dave and Carol Wagner family of Dodge City, Kansas
.
In 1993, on its 25th anniversary, KSU Stadium saw its first significant permanent additions – a five-level press box and luxury suites on the west side of the field. After the 1998 season, the stadium underwent another expansion, a $12.8 million USD
project designed by HOK Sport that increased the official seating capacity
to 50,300 and added an upper deck on the east grandstands, club seating, and more luxury suites. Prior to the 2002 season
, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned FieldTurf
surface at a cost of $800,000.
Prior to the 2006 season
, another $5.6 million was used to renovate the locker-room complex and add new north end zone seating, raising the permanent seating capacity
by approximately 1,900, to 52,200. The renovation also included new audio and visual electronics and a new hydrotherapy
center. Although new permanent seating was added, the athletic department actually lowered the stadium's official seating capcity to 50,000 following the renovation.
After the 2010 season the field was replaced with artificial gameday turf. Additional renovations were announced including the addition of concessions and restrooms in the east side upper deck.
, Kansas State offered to name the stadium after retiring head coach Bill Snyder
. In 17 years, Snyder had turned the Wildcats, once the definition of college football futility, into a frequent championship contender in the Big 12 Conference
. When he was asked about renaming the stadium, Snyder told school officials, "If you are going to do it, name it after the people that I care about the most." Hence, the Regents renamed the stadium to honor the family of the coach who had led the team for 17 years.
Starting in the 2009 season
, Snyder returned to coach the team again, becoming one of only three coaches in division I FBS history to coach in a stadium that bears his name.
fence around the base of the stadium's seating area.
performed a concert at the stadium to raise money for Farm Aid
, following a Kansas State football game against Austin Peay State University.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. It is primarily used for American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, and is the home field of the Kansas State University Wildcats football team
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
. It is named after head coach Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
and his family. Since 1990, K-State is 113-26-1 (.807) at home.
Construction and renovations
Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium opened as KSU Stadium in 1968, with a capacity of 30,000. It was the replacement for the on-campus Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Kansas State)
Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. For several decades it was used by Kansas State University for college football and track and field. It was the home field of the K-State's football team between 1922 and 1967, prior to the opening of Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium...
, which hosted Kansas State football games since 1922 (and is still standing today). The first game played at the new stadium was on September 21, 1968 – Kansas State shut out Colorado State
Colorado State Rams
Colorado State University competes in 16 sponsored intercollegiate sports, including 10 for women and six for men...
21-0.
In 1970, 4,000 permanent bleacher seats were added to the east side and 3,000 temporary seats on the west side. Also that year, an AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
playing field was installed in place of natural grass.
Over the next two decades, the stadium received only periodic updates. First, the original turf was replaced in 1980 with a product called Superturf, and lights were installed prior to the 1983 season. In 1988, the south end of the stadium was partially enclosed when the new Bramlage Coliseum
Bramlage Coliseum
Fred Bramlage Coliseum is a 12,528-seat multi-purpose arena in Manhattan, Kansas. The arena's primary function is as home to the men's and women's basketball teams for Kansas State University. The building also holds offices for Kansas State Wildcats baseball, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sports...
was completed. A large reception room inside the coliseum now overlooks the south end of the stadium. Finally, prior to the 1991 season, another new artificial playing surface was installed and the playing field was named Wagner Field for the Dave and Carol Wagner family of Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
.
In 1993, on its 25th anniversary, KSU Stadium saw its first significant permanent additions – a five-level press box and luxury suites on the west side of the field. After the 1998 season, the stadium underwent another expansion, a $12.8 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
project designed by HOK Sport that increased the official seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to 50,300 and added an upper deck on the east grandstands, club seating, and more luxury suites. Prior to the 2002 season
2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2002 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2002. The team's head coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 2002 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 11-2, and a 6-2 record in Big 12...
, the artificial turf was updated to a more cushioned FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
surface at a cost of $800,000.
Prior to the 2006 season
2006 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2006 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2006. The team's head football coach was Ron Prince. 2006 was the first year for Prince who came to K-State from Virginia as their offensive coordinator...
, another $5.6 million was used to renovate the locker-room complex and add new north end zone seating, raising the permanent seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
by approximately 1,900, to 52,200. The renovation also included new audio and visual electronics and a new hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy, involves the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. The term hydrotherapy itself is synonymous with the term water cure as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 19th century...
center. Although new permanent seating was added, the athletic department actually lowered the stadium's official seating capcity to 50,000 following the renovation.
After the 2010 season the field was replaced with artificial gameday turf. Additional renovations were announced including the addition of concessions and restrooms in the east side upper deck.
Name
Before the final game of the 2005 season2005 Kansas State Wildcats football team
The 2005 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 2005. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium...
, Kansas State offered to name the stadium after retiring head coach Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder
Bill Snyder is the head football coach at Kansas State University. He was rehired to the position on November 24, 2008, making Snyder one of the rare college football head coaches to have non-consecutive tenure at the same school. Snyder previously served as head coach at the school from 1989 to...
. In 17 years, Snyder had turned the Wildcats, once the definition of college football futility, into a frequent championship contender in the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. When he was asked about renaming the stadium, Snyder told school officials, "If you are going to do it, name it after the people that I care about the most." Hence, the Regents renamed the stadium to honor the family of the coach who had led the team for 17 years.
Starting in the 2009 season
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
, Snyder returned to coach the team again, becoming one of only three coaches in division I FBS history to coach in a stadium that bears his name.
Historical notes
- From 1996 to 2000, Kansas State won 26 consecutive games on its home field. This is the 25th-longest home winning streak in NCAA history.
- On August 31, 19961996 in sports1996 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Katja Seizinger, Germany-American football:...
, the stadium hosted the first athletic competition in Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
history: a football game between Kansas State and Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
. Kansas State won the game 21-14 amid pomp and ceremony, including a skydiverParachutingParachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
delivering the first conference game ball. - The first night game at the stadium was held on October 23, 1982, when TBS erected temporary lights to televise a game against the University of Kansas. Kansas State won the game 36-7, in front of a then-record crowd of 43,167.
- Kansas State's 100th game at the stadium was a 21-14 loss to Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
on November 16, 1985. - Kansas State's 200th game at the stadium was a 40-7 win over Louisiana Tech on November 17, 2001.
- The stadium has hosted several Kansas State High School Activities AssociationKansas State High School Activities AssociationThe Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...
State Championship contests and Kansas Shrine Bowl games.
Top 10 crowds at Snyder Stadium
Kansas State has exceeded the official capacity at Bill Snyder Family Stadium several times; following are the top 10 crowds:- 53,811 NebraskaNebraska Cornhuskers footballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
, November 11, 2000 (W, 29-28) - 53,310 OklahomaOklahoma Sooners footballThe Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, October 16, 2004 (L, 21-31) - 53,011 Oklahoma, October 14, 2000 (L, 31-41)
- 52,254 KansasKansas Jayhawks footballThe Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
, October 9, 1999 (W, 50-9) - 52,234 Nebraska, October 23, 2004 (W, 45-21)
- 52,221 Nebraska, November 16, 2002 (W, 49-13)
- 52,077 ColoradoColorado Buffaloes footballThe Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
, November 6, 1999 (W, 20-14) - 51,614 Kansas, October 25, 2003 (W, 42-6)
- 51,536 Colorado, October 18, 2003 (W, 49-20)
- 51,234 MissouriMissouri TigersThe Missouri Tigers athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of the University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, United States...
, November 20, 1999 (W, 66-0)
Future expansion
In 2008, the "Wildcat Victory" campaign was established with the goal of upgrading K-State's athletic facilities. Under this campaign, Bramlage Coliseum and the west side of Bill Snyder Family Stadium would undergo drastic changes. The plans for the stadium are currently called "Phase II" of the project, and are indefinite. As presently proposed, the plans include expanding the height and length of the press box to match the east side upper deck. The enlarged press box would also include suites like those on the east side. The plans also involve remodeling the west side restrooms, concession stands and the Cat's Closet store. Finally, the plan includes building a limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
fence around the base of the stadium's seating area.
Non-football uses
The facility has hosted a very small number of non-football activities. On September 5, 1987, Willie NelsonWillie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
performed a concert at the stadium to raise money for Farm Aid
Farm Aid
Farm Aid started as a benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, held to raise money for family farmers in the United States...
, following a Kansas State football game against Austin Peay State University.