November 24, 2008

Bill Snyder returning to K-State sidelines

When Kansas State first looked to find a candidate to replace coaching legend Bill Snyder, they wanted someone from within the "Snyder coaching fraternity". The Wildcats eventually settled on Virginia's Ron Prince.

Thirty-seven games later, Kansas State has decided that there's nothing like the real thing, baby.

Bill Snyder will return to the job he left three years ago when he is named Kansas State's head football coach at a 10 a.m. press conference at Bramlage Coliseum's Legends Room on Monday.

Snyder retired after the 2005 season after spending 17 years roaming the sidelines in the stadium that now bears his name as head coach of the Wildcats. He is the school's all-time winningest coach with a career record of 136-68-1 and led the team to bowl games each season from 1993-2003.

The word from K-State fans is decidedly mixed. Some backers see Snyder's return as the (literal? figurative?) second coming, while others presume that the Wildcats probably couldn't have landed a top talent in the short-term... hence the Snyder band-aid. I, personally, lean towards the latter.

Snyder was (is?) a great coach and built Kansas State from the ground up of his own sheer will and determination. But Snyder is the ghost of K-State past, not the bold fresh look of a new generation. Bringing back Snyder, even for a short stint, signals that the Wildcats are incapable of turning the page.

Even if they bring in a coach-in-waiting to work under Snyder for a couple of years, aren't they really just admitting that there is no one out there than can win in Manhattan? How are they going to recruit with that mindset hanging over them? And if you don't bring in a coach-in-waiting, are you just giving up on the future with a lame duck coach?

Short term? They're probably going to sell a few more tickets.

Long term? This team really goes nowhere. It can't move forward, because everyone knows that Snyder isn't the future. They face a huge recruiting challenge that is going to stunt the growth of this program by at least five years.

I think this is probably one of the worst coaching decisions that I've seen in a long, long, long time. K-State just blew it.

Comments:

Bill Snyder returning to K-State sidelines
When Kansas State first looked to find a candidate to replace coaching legend Bill Snyder, they wanted someone from within the "Snyder coaching fraternity". The Wildcats eventually settled on Virginia's Ron Prince. Thirty-seven games later, Kansas State has decided that there's nothing like the real thing, baby.
Bill Snyder will return to the job he left three years ago when he is named Kansas State's head football coach at a 10 a.m. press conference at Bramlage Coliseum's Legends Room on Monday. Snyder retired after the 2005 season after spending 17 years roaming the sidelines in the stadium that now bears his name as head coach of the Wildcats. He is the school's all-time winningest coach with a career record of 136-68-1 and led the team to bowl games each season from 1993-2003.
The word from K-State fans is decidedly mixed. Some backers see Snyder's return as the (literal? figurative?) second coming, while others presume that the Wildcats probably couldn't have landed a top talent in the short-term... hence the Snyder band-aid. I, personally, lean towards the latter. Snyder was (is?) a great coach and built Kansas State from the ground up of his own sheer will and determination. But Snyder is the ghost of K-State past, not the bold fresh look of a new generation. Bringing back Snyder, even for a short stint, signals that the Wildcats are incapable of turning the page. Even if they bring in a coach-in-waiting to work under Snyder for a couple of years, aren't they really just admitting that there is no one out there than can win in Manhattan? How are they going to recruit with that mindset hanging over them? And if you don't bring in a coach-in-waiting, are you just giving up on the future with a lame duck coach? Short term? They're probably going to sell a few more tickets. Long term? This team really goes nowhere. It can't move forward, because everyone knows that Snyder isn't the future. They face a huge recruiting challenge that is going to stunt the growth of this program by at least five years. I think this is probably one of the worst coaching decisions that I've seen in a long, long, long time. K-State just blew it.