Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Bill Snyder Retires as Kansas State Football Coach After 27 Seasons

Timothy Rapp

Bill Snyder's tenure as the head coach at Kansas State has come to a close, as the school announced Sunday that Snyder retired after 27 years as the program's head coach (via Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press).

The Mercury's Ryan Black first reported the news.

Snyder signed an extension with the school in August that runs through the 2022 season.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman noted a few coaches who could be in line to replace Snyder in Manhattan.

Snyder, 79, went 215-117-1 in his time at Kansas State, leading the team to 19 bowl games and two Big 12 titles. His teams finished the season ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll on six occasions and were ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in three different seasons (1998, 2000, 2012).

His best season came in 1999, when the Wildcats finished 11-1 and closed the season ranked No. 6.

Snyder left the program for three years (2006-08) after temporarily retiring but came back in 2009 after Ron Prince was fired.

The Wildcats struggled in 2018, going just 5-7 and failing to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2009. The Wildcats also haven't won double-digit games since 2012, when the team won its last Big 12 title, and there were hints throughout the season that perhaps this would be Snyder's last year.

Snyder's legacy is that of Kansas State's greatest head coach and the man who turned around a once-floundering program and made it successful and respectable. He's a legend in college football in an era wherein lengthy tenures for head coaches at one program are rare.

But it was time for a change, for both Snyder and the program he built.

   

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