Recently in Letters from the AD Category
Today's letter is being completed on a 7 a.m. flight to DFW after I had the privilege last night of witnessing K-State's gritty 3-2 comeback baseball win over the Longhorns in Austin. Right up the road in Waco on Friday, freshman hammer thrower Sara Savatovic won the Big 12 championship with a 64-foot toss which also re-establishes the Serbian national record she already held! You can follow the track championships on www.kstatesports.com and www.big12sports.com as action heats up with several Wildcats in contention and you can also catch the free audio feed for the baseball game at 2 p.m.
Also competing for the Big 12 title beginning this morning at 9:40 a.m. will be our rowing team in Kansas City. Good luck to all the K-State student-athletes in action this weekend!
It has been a busy and productive week, but I am definitely ready for my family to pick me up later this morning after American Eagle brings me into MHK on the 10:45 a.m. arrival. Here are a few highlights from my week on the road.
We started our Big 12 meetings on Tuesday in Phoenix, but I flew out of MHK through DFW into Tucson on Monday afternoon to see Arizona's nearly-completed football center and end zone expansion. My good friend and Arizona AD Greg Byrne gave me a comprehensive tour of their impressive facility, which is being built by Mortenson -- the same company that is teaming with GE Johnson to construct the West Stadium Center. Additionally, the UA building was designed by Heery, the co-designer of the WSC along with Kansas City's AECOM. It is always good to benchmark ourselves with our competition and get ideas for future phases of the Bill Snyder Family Stadium Master Plan.
Good Evening K-State Nation,
It's been a beautiful day in Kansas as Senior Associate AD Chad Weiberg and I made the drive down to Wichita to a luncheon with over 100 K-Staters at Koch Industries. Among the many in attendance were recent Wildcat student-athlete graduates Victor Ojeleye (basketball) and Daniel Dellasega (baseball) who are among the many financial analysts, engineers and other professionals at Koch, which is annually one of the largest recruiters of K-State graduates.
We have now made our way over to Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson to watch final round action of the Big 12 Men's Golf Championship. The men's golf squad has endured some tough weather conditions on the course this week, but the sun is out today as all nine teams wrap up play. It has been a pleasure serving as the host institution at this week's tournament, and I appreciate all our staff, including Cole Walker (operations), Mindy Hoffman (athletic training) and Kenny Lannou and Jesse Piper (media relations/communications), who helped make the event run smoothly amidst the weather delays - including yesterday's snow and ice storm! Next year Wichita State will be the host institution for the 2014 NCAA Men's Championship here, so golf enthusiasts should make plans to watch the nation's best collegiate golfers right here at Prairie Dunes.
Good Afternoon K-State Nation,
I trust you are managing the wild swings of weather we are experiencing, but we certainly are all grateful for the moisture that means so much to our agricultural community here in the state of Kansas. Speaking of that, congratulations to Coach Hill and our baseball team for overcoming not just rain and plummeting temperatures last night but also a 6-1 Wichita State lead in the 8th inning. It was a thrill to watch the 'Cats score five runs in the bottom of the 8th and then the game-winner in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Shockers 7-6 and improve to 24-10 on the year, currently the second-best overall win total in the Big 12. Despite the weather of the last two months our team has not missed a single home game, thanks in part to the hard work of our game operations staff and new full field AstroTurf infill surface we installed two years ago at Tointon Family Stadium - another way your Ahearn gifts and ticket purchases directly impact the student-athlete experience and K-State's ability to compete. We especially appreciate the fans and ushers who braved the soggy weather to support the squad to the end!
This past weekend I journeyed to Atlanta for various AD meetings surrounding the men's Final Four on Friday and Saturday before making it back to MHK on American Eagle Sunday just in time to catch the third game of our baseball series sweep of Texas Tech. On Saturday morning I attended a very interesting and frank discussion with NCAA President Mark Emmert along with about 90 other AD's and commissioners. Clearly there is a feeling among many AD's nationally that they have been somewhat purposely detached from the national policy-making process over the last few years. I am again reminded how fortunate we are to have an inclusive and communicative leader here at K-State in our President Kirk Schulz - my fellow AD's around the country are very glad that President Schulz is now becoming involved at the highest level as a member of the NCAA (and Big 12) Board of Directors' Executive Committee! I also enjoyed being able to sit at the breakfast table next to my good friend and colleague, Wichita State AD Eric Sexton - congratulations to the Shockers on a great NCAA run.
Good Afternoon K-State Nation,
It is a beautiful day in Manhattan as we get ready for a busy weekend of K-State student-athletes in action across the nation! Of course here in Bramlage Coliseum we are looking forward to a great crowd for tonight's 7 p.m. third-round WNIT matchup with Ball State. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here, so come out and support seniors Brittany Chambers and Mariah White and our Wildcats as they continue to charge through the bracket. Brittany is as hot as any player in the country right now as she followed her school-record 42 points against Texas Southern with 28 versus Illinois State in the second round! Watch on K-StateHD.TV if you can't be there in person or listen live across the K-State Sports Network or online at k-statesports.com.
Happy March Madness!
First off, I want to congratulate Big 12 Coach of the Year Bruce Weber and our men's basketball team on their Big 12 Championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament as well as Coach Patterson and our women's team on persevering and earning a bid to the WNIT. Both teams will be playing this week in our own backyard -- we hope to see you Thursday night at Bramlage for the 7 p.m. WNIT battle with Texas Southern and then Friday afternoon at the Sprint Center in Kansas City for our NCAA Second Round matchup at 2:10 p.m. against either La Salle or Boise State.
I would like to thank our fans for both their patience and persistence in securing their seats in the Sprint Center for what is a very hot and tough ticket in Kansas City this weekend. For those in the area, with or without tickets to the tournament, be sure and come to the Power and Light District Friday at 12:15 p.m. for a pregame pep rally!
Can you believe it is March 5? Time flies when you are having fun, and having our men's basketball team ranked ninth and battling for a Big 12 title in the last week of the season definitely qualifies as fun! Tonight's 7 p.m. game against TCU is very special as the winningest senior class in K-State history - Rodney McGruder, Jordan Henriquez and Martavious Irving - will take to the court for their final game in Bramlage Coliseum. Please arrive early to salute these seniors and their families! A limited number of general admission tickets remain and can be purchased by clicking here, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the Bramlage ticket office.
Before we get to a few other departmental updates we have important breaking news regarding our 2013 football schedule to bring to your attention.
In just a few hours our 13th-ranked men's basketball team will host Bob Huggins and West Virginia here in the Octagon of Doom on ESPN's Big Monday national stage. Tip time at Bramlage is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT, and we are anticipating another packed house and electric atmosphere. Congratulations also to Angel Rodriguez for being named Big 12 Player of the Week!
This past weekend was full of competition and exciting activities here on campus beginning with Thursday's kickoff event for the nine-month celebration of K-State's 150th anniversary. It was great to see the thousands of K-Staters inside Ahearn Field House on Thursday walking through all of the exhibits while enjoying a classic K-State tradition - Call Hall ice cream. On Friday evening more than 800 K-Staters from all generations attended the sold-out "Gala 150" in the Hilton Garden Inn's first-class banquet center. Congratulations and thanks to all the 150th committee members who have worked so hard to plan this special celebration period, including Jackie Hartman and Megan Umscheid in the President's office, who are spearheading the effort.
My Saturday started with a 9:00 a.m. visit and question-and-answer session with our nationally recognized Alumni Association's Board of Directors. Our Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Lindsey Babcock accompanied me and did a great job of explaining a number of national issues. After a tour of the BTF and WSC with a couple special guests, at 11 a.m. we held our third facility groundbreaking in the last 24 months with a ceremony formally initiating construction on our new Intercollegiate Rowing Center! As we continue to strive toward our goal of a model intercollegiate athletics program, the IRC will dramatically enhance the experience of our 90-plus female rowing student-athletes. The IRC's location close to our Academic Learning Center and the new Student-Athlete Performance Table located in the West Stadium Center will help maximize the efficiency of our student-athletes. The IRC, which is being funded privately through Ahearn Fund contributions and athletics department revenue without the aid of tax, tuition or general university dollars, will include two state-of-the-art indoor rowing tanks, a new locker room and erg room with more than 40 rowing performance machines and office space for the coaching staff. Highlights of the ceremony were the incredibly grateful comments from team captains Aly Bronder and Adria Ley as well as seeing the excitement in the crowd of approximately 200, including many current and former rowers and their parents. Click here to read our full release and see the groundbreaking video.
Good Morning K-State Nation,
National Signing Day is underway with faxes already rolling into the Vanier Complex as Coach Snyder welcomes the newest members of the Wildcat football program. Check k-statesports.com all morning for up-to-date signee bios and videos, and be sure to watch Coach Snyder's 2 p.m. Signing Day press conference live on K-StateHD.TV.
Last night Coach Weber's 13th-ranked squad captured another Big 12 road win at Texas Tech to improve to 18-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12, our best nine-game start in conference play since Michael Beasley wore a Wildcat uniform in 2007-08. And tonight our women's squad, coming off a tough double-overtime game against KU on Saturday, hosts Oklahoma in Bramlage at 7 p.m. The game can also be seen on Fox Sports Midwest and also world-wide on K-StateHD.TV!
Big News for a Key Department Leader
In case you missed it, here is a link to yesterday's national announcement that Reid Sigmon, our Senior Associate AD/COO, has been named the Chief Financial Officer for the new college football playoff and national championship organization. In his new role, which will begin in April 22, Reid will join Executive Director Bill Hancock in the group's new headquarters in Dallas. He will bring valuable on-campus perspective into what makes a post-season experience special for student-athletes, coaches and institutional fans as well as credibility and common-sense to the new era of post-season football including the championship game and the new semifinals and elite bowl placement system.
While Reid's daily presence will be missed dearly, I am very proud and excited for him to have this transformational opportunity. Reid was our first hire, arriving at K-State in July 2009 after directing the Tampa Super Bowl organizing committee. We simply cannot overestimate the impact he has had on the athletics program's re-organization and fiscal growth from a forecasted $2 million operating deficit four years ago to one now recognized nationally as a model of fiscal stability with a $59 million budget this year along with $100 million in ongoing athletic facility upgrades. Thanks to Reid we have a tremendous senior staff that will continue great leadership and support for our programs.
As I discussed in my letter last week, with success comes the fact that our people, both from an administrative and coaching standpoint, are noticed by others around the country for the great work they are doing in Manhattan, and, in turn, often are targeted by other organizations or programs. This is a compliment to K-State, our student-athletes, and fans, and further evidence of the progress being made towards our vision of being a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program.
Good Morning K-State Nation,
It's already been a busy week including two excellent days of Big 12 meetings and a big home basketball win over Texas, both of which we will review in a few moments, along with a few other topics from around the department.
However, I first want to share the very exciting news that later this morning we will be announcing that Coach Snyder has signed a new five-year contract that will solidify his services through the 2017 season. The new contract, which has an automatic rollover provision after the completion of each season mirroring the agreement signed in 2009, increases Coach's compensation to $2.75 million for the 2013 season, while annual increases of $100,000 will bring the five-year total to $14.75 million through the 2017 season. The new deal has been approved by the K-State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors and President Kirk Schulz. Check k-statesports.com later this morning for our full announcement.
We are thrilled Coach Snyder has accepted this new contract and proud of the competitive improvement our team has made - both on the field and in the classroom - under his leadership. Coach Snyder's daily drive, focus and energy in continuing to build the K-State football program are truly remarkable and inspirational. While he is not one to focus attention on himself, President Schulz and I felt that it was important to recognize, in this very significant way, his tremendous leadership and commitment to continuing to lead the K-State football program.
Coach Snyder, our coaching staff and our student-athletes have done their part by representing the university in a first-class manner while also providing championship performances both on the field and in the classroom. Our fans have done their part by filling Bill Snyder Family Stadium every week, setting a national standard for post-season travel and investing in transformational projects such as the new West Stadium Center. Thanks to our K-State donors, over $100 million in facility improvements are currently ongoing to enhance our student-athlete and fan experience.
It was a great K-State weekend with big basketball wins over Oklahoma and TCU, respectively, exciting record-breaking track performances in Ahearn Field House and a number of tennis victories for the Wildcat netters!
Today's holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has special significance for K-State. As most K-Staters are aware, on January 19, 1968, Ahearn Field House was the site of Dr. King's last campus address prior to his assassination in Memphis.
Since arriving in Manhattan I've also learned that it was on the K-State football team that Harold Robinson in 1949 became the first African-American in the Big Seven Conference to receive an athletic scholarship, while Manhattan native Earl Woods, the late father of professional golfer Tiger Woods, later became the first African-American baseball player in the conference. Click here to read an excellent article from K-State's Division of Communication and Marketing about K-State's earliest African-American students.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and K-State is proud to have the most diverse student population in our history as well as the highest African-American student population of any four-year institution in the state of Kansas.
K-State's Office of Multicultural Programs and Diversity, led by Dr. Myra Gordon, provides terrific leadership in building an inclusive campus climate that fosters mutual understanding among diverse groups. Click here for more information on the university's multicultural programs.
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season and is off and running with positive New Year's resolutions for 2013! After arriving back in Manhattan last Friday from Phoenix, we put in a full and triumphant day at Bramlage Coliseum Saturday with a great men's victory over then No. 22 Oklahoma State followed by a thrilling buzzer-beating win for the women over TCU. Both games featured spirited crowd support including a valiant alumni pep band, filling in for the Pride students who were still on their journey back from the Fiesta Bowl after a side trip to the Grand Canyon.
Before I go any further let me again thank the entire Wildcat Nation for a tremendous turnout in Arizona for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. With an estimated 20,000-plus in attendance at our pep rally inside Chase Field and more than 40,000 fans at University of Phoenix Stadium for the game, you once again made a statement to the nation that K-State fans are the best in college football. The entire Fiesta Bowl staff, in addition to national and local Arizona media that attended both events, were blown away with the passion of our fans and how the Valley of the Sun was painted purple! Our alumni association, led by Amy Button Renz, once again set the national standard!
It was awesome to have ABC television star and K-State grad Eric Stonestreet in attendance at our pep rally, and I enjoyed hearing President Schulz's remarks on the progress towards K-State 2025. President Schulz also debuted an awesome video on upcoming campus improvements. Click here to see the video and learn more about these exciting steps forward as K-State heads towards the ranks of the top 50 public universities.
Greetings from the Valley of the Sun! I have just returned to the hotel here in Scottsdale after attending this morning's excellent FCA breakfast with several members of our football team and staff. Former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna gave an inspirational address to a crowd of 1,200 local high school students, families and fans. As always, K-State was represented in a first-class manner as Coach Snyder, Collin Klein and Tre Walker took the stage and shared great comments.
It was good to be seated on the team plane yesterday among some of the 17 seniors (out of 27 total) who have already completed their K-State degree! Several Fiesta Bowl board members commented to me how well our university was represented as our team emerged from the plane in their grey slacks, ties and blazers. I am grateful to Coach Snyder, his staff and our captains for the leadership they provide.
Good morning, K-State Nation!
It's been a wild couple of weeks since I last wrote to you! I recently
attended my sixth banquet/award ceremony in the last 11 days, (not
counting the K-State volleyball banquet, which I hated to miss and sort
of attended in the form of a videotaped address) but I never get tired
of seeing K-Staters recognized on the big stage.
The awards odyssey all began a week ago when we traveled to New York to
see Mark Simoneau honored at the National Football Foundation dinner for
his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame before returning
to MHK for 24 hours, when our family watched Collin Klein on TV at the
Home Depot CFB Awards show in Orlando, Fla.
Friday saw an early morning flight on American Eagle out of MHK
connecting to Baltimore for the very special Johnny Unitas Golden Arm
Award ceremony, where Collin gave a tremendous acceptance speech.
Attendees and speakers included Coach Snyder, Colts legends and Unitas'
teammates Raymond Berry, Jimmy Orr, Len Moore and Tom Matte who joined
John Unitas Jr. and other family members for the evening. Click to watch
K-State videographer Preston Koerner's highlights. I even was able to
keep up with Collin's father, Doug, on a four-mile jog through
Baltimore's harbor area that afternoon.
Saturday we also were able to watch a Wildcat basketball victory over
George Washington at a nearby restaurant on 42nd Street before the
Heisman presentation in New York City. That was then followed by a
transcontinental American Airlines flight to California for Sunday
night's Lott IMPACT Trophy presentation, where Arthur Brown was honored
as one of four finalists for that prestigious award before a live FOX
television audience. Condelezza Rice gave an inspirational keynote
address, and Arthur did a great job in his FOX interviews and comments.
Watching the pride on the faces of his parents, Arthur Sr. and Lelonnie,
as Arthur joined Notre Dame's Manti T'eo and Chase Thomas of Stanford
on the stage made the long trip completely worthwhile.
After spending Monday in the office it was up and back to Chicago on
Tuesday (again out of MHK on American Eagle) where President Schulz
received the CASE Chief Executive Leadership award in front of a packed
banquet hall including K-State Alumni CEO Amy Button Renz and luncheon
keynote speaker Mike Eruzione. Both athletically and academically
K-State is surging toward the goal of becoming a Top 50 public research
university by 2025!
Good Evening Wildcat Nation,
It's going to be a busy K-State sports weekend and after traveling this week I'm heading back to MHK on the afternoon American Eagle flight from DFW in time to make it to Bramlage for tonight's men's and women's home season-opening basketball doubleheader beginning at 5:30 p.m.! Both Coach Weber's inaugural K-State team and Coach Patterson's 17th squad are coming off good exhibition victories and are ready to get the "real" games started against Idaho State and North Dakota, respectively.
Tomorrow is another huge day for Coach Fritz's No. 17 ranked volleyball squad who will host TCU Saturday at 3 p.m. in Ahearn Field House before Coach Snyder's charges put their No. 2 BCS ranking on the line vs. TCU in Fort Worth at 6 p.m. in front of another national FOX broadcast.
Sunday afternoon we'll be back in Bramlage for Wildcat women's basketball action against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 2 p.m. Then on Monday and Tuesday Bramlage hosts two nights of doubleheader Pre-Season NIT action beginning with the K-State vs. Lamar at 7 p.m. and North Texas vs. Alabama Huntsville at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday. Lamar is coming off an NCAA tournament appearance last year, while UAH advanced to the Elite Eight of the Division II tournament so please come early and be loud and help give the 'Cats the Octagon of Doom home court advantage you've made famous throughout college basketball!
Good Morning Wildcat Nation!
It's another big weekend in the Little Apple for our university, community and second-ranked football program as we welcome ABC/ESPN's "Saturday Night Football" to town to nationally televise our contest against No. 24 Oklahoma State. November is a crazy-busy month for our staff (and our fans!!) as our fall sports overlap with the launch of men's and women's basketball. There are also extra logistics and planning to prepare for likely post-season play for football and volleyball, while of course we continue with multiple projects as part of our $100 million in athletic facility improvements.
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation,
It's Homecoming weekend, and we are already enjoying seeing K-State
alumni rolling in for a full weekend of activities, which we'll cover in
greater detail later in this letter. But first, let's all wish
K-State's men's and women's cross country teams good luck in our first
Big 12 Championship of the year, tomorrow morning in Austin.
I do want to take a quick moment to look back at our victorious trip to
West Virginia last weekend, primarily because of the numerous letters
and notes I have received from our fans about how well they were treated
by the host fans of the Big 12's newest member institution. We salute
President Jim Clements and AD Oliver Luck for establishing a high level
of sportsmanship expectation and tone. And, we continue to appreciate
the great job K-State fans are doing to set the example for all of
college athletics in how we welcome our visiting fans here at Bill
Snyder Family Stadium with "The Best Fan Experience in Big 12."
And, it was a tremendous performance on and off the field in
Milan-Puskar Stadium, with K-Staters from 22 states attending the
pre-game alumni function ( click here for additional alumni functions on
the road) and approximately 3,500-4,000 Wildcat fans at the game, all
wearing purple I might add! Thanks for your passion for the Cats!
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation,
Today is a historic day for K-State Athletics. It is already a huge
Wildcat weekend with our No. 7 equestrian team getting the festivities
started with a Big 12 battle with Baylor this morning at Timbercreek
Stables at 10 a.m. Tomorrow we'll have the nationally-televised
football edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against the Jayhawks
at 11 a.m. and the huge 7 p.m. Big 12 volleyball battle with Texas in
Ahearn between two Top 15 teams.
And this afternoon we will have a very special and significant event as
we dedicate our new state-of-the-art $18 million Basketball Training
Facility for our men's and women's teams. We are incredibly grateful to
all the Ahearn Fund members who have made this completely privately
funded project possible. Coupled with our tremendous home court
advantage and awesome student section in Bramlage, we believe that our
basketball facility environment is now as good as anyone in the country.
Our basketball student-athletes will get the first tour of their new
facility early this afternoon before an invitation-only event and
program wraps up the dedication. Over the next six weeks we will also
hold a public open house so that all of our great fans can see firsthand
this gorgeous facility. We appreciate the hard work of our project
architects at Populous, construction manager MW Builders and members of
our athletics staff in making sure this facility - to the very finest
detail - is top-notch and one of the best in the country. In the
meantime, be sure and tune in to K-StateHD.TV this evening at 5:45 p.m.
and watch the dedication program live. Also check back soon for a video
tour and let us know what you think!
Coach Snyder's goal No. 12 is "No Self Limitations." Truly the
Basketball Training Facility represents what can happen when all the
elements of the K-State Nation come together and determine that we will
indeed be a model intercollegiate athletics program! We continue to
support President Schulz's leadership and the visionary K-State 2025
program of becoming a Top 50 public research institution. With our
terrific university leadership team, faculty and staff and the support
of K-Staters across the globe, K-State students will continue to have
one of the best college experiences in the country!
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation!
It's time for Big 12 Conference play as both our football and volleyball programs are now entering league action. Coach Fritz's No. 11 volleyball squad is off to a 12-1 start and will host Nebraska-Omaha tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Ahearn before welcoming West Virginia next Thursday night, September 27, for the Mountaineer's first-ever Big 12 contest in Manhattan. Let's be sure and pack the house to show our visitors from Morgantown what Big 12 volleyball is all about!
Good Morning K-State Nation!
What is shaping up to be a beautiful K-State weekend was kick-started
last night as K-State Volleyball starting off the Golden Hurricane
Classic with a sweep over host Tulsa to improve to 10-0 on the season.
Congratulations to Coach Fritz and the team as the 19th-ranked 'Cats
continue the best start in school history! Next up is a big test
against 10th-ranked Minnesota this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. You can watch
the Tulsa video feed on K-StateHD.TV or tune into SportsRadio 1350 to
follow the Cats!
Good Morning K-State Nation!
Today's beautiful MHK sunrise was preceded by a 6:52 a.m. text message from President Schulz informing me that the Big 12 Board of Directors has approved our new long-term ESPN/FOX contract for all 10 members! President Schulz, Commissioner Bowlsby and the entire Big 12 family have done a great job throughout this process. We emerge with a brighter conference future than ever before, while Big 12 student-athletes will receive unprecedented national exposure with this new 13-year agreement. Click here to read the official conference release and our statement.
Good Afternoon K-State Nation!
Another fall semester is underway - it's great to see the students back
on campus and the buzz they create around town. We've had a busy two
weeks which kicked off with more than 5,000 students in attendance last
Sunday at the annual Week of Welcome pep rally at Bill Snyder Family
Stadium. Our student body certainly is energized and eager for the
2012-13 year, and we know that student section will be rocking Saturday
night as we are nearing 8,000 student passes sold for this football
season, a number that has steadily increased since 2009.
Also, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby made a trip to Manhattan last
Friday to visit campus and meet with many university and athletic staff
members and personnel, and our 21st-ranked volleyball team opened its
season with a three-game sweep at the Varney's Invitational in front of
terrific crowds at Ahearn Field House. As we head into another busy
weekend with our football, volleyball and cross country teams all in
action, here are some additional details from the latest happenings in
the department.
Good Morning K-State Nation!
Welcome (back) to K-State and the land of Big Cranes! Although it has
been a little while since I last wrote it is not for a lack of activity
and action around the K-State Nation. And, with our home football
opener just 19 days away, let's get caught up on current happenings here
in Manhattan and around the world.
Olympic Silver for Rising Senior Erik Kynard
Rising senior and back-to-back NCAA outdoor champion Erik Kynard put an
exclamation point on the world in "World -Class Student-Athlete
Experience" last Wednesday in London as he captured the silver medal in
the high jump at the XXX Olympic Games. I joined a boisterous group of
K-State staffers in the Legends Room in Bramlage that afternoon to watch
the jump competition live via the web as SID David Wiechmann tracked
the scores and competition on an "old fashioned" white board. It was
just awesome to see Erik and then the frequent camera shots of him
conferring with our head coach, Cliff Rovelto, who sat trackside with
his wife and track operations director Karol along with former K-State
heptathlete Austra Skujyte, who finished fifth competing for her home
country of Lithuania. K-State track is helping to lead our quest for a
model intercollegiate athletics program, and we are proud of all the
K-Staters who represented their countries in London. And, Coach Rovelto
not only represented K-State as Erik's coach but also served as the
coach for the other two U.S. high jumpers who advanced to the medal
round! Congrats to Erik and Coach Rovelto, along with the five other
current or former Wildcats - Skujyte, Darius Draudvila (Lithuania),
Korene Hinds (Jamaica), Jeffrey Julmis (Haiti) and Beverly Ramos (Puerto
Rico) -- who participated for their respective countries in London.
Good Afternoon K-State Nation!
I trust you enjoyed a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. Our family
enjoyed a full day of activities here in Manhattan capped off by some
incredible fireworks displays around town!
Supposedly the summer used to be a time when things slow down, but here
at K-State we have a great deal of action on-going about which I want to
bring you up to speed. As I pulled into the parking lot this morning,
various excavators, back-hoes and dump-trucks were already prowling the
site of the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Speaking
of the West Stadium Center, we are humbled to announce that K-Staters
have responded to the $5 million anonymous challenge pledge announced
earlier this spring, matching and exceeding that amount, now pushing
total funds committed to the project to over $53 million towards the
total goal of $75 million!
Good Morning K-State Nation!
While I spend most of this week traveling around the country visiting
with donors, making a stop in Des Moines for the NCAA Outdoor Track and
Field Championships and checking out two football stadiums with our
construction team, exciting progress is being made at home in MHK.
Our staff in Bramlage and the Vanier Complex was greeted with sounds
from heavy equipment on Tuesday as the construction pace picked up on
the West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium! Work is beginning
on the north end of the construction site to our new "TV Land" area,
which will be completed prior to the 2012 season. All power, utilities
and fiber connectivity are being relocated to the new area and will be
the location for television broadcast trucks, satellite uplinks and of
course, our K-StateHD.TV production vehicle.
Good Evening K-State Nation!
Today's update comes to you live from the beautiful new Great Bend (KS)
Sports Complex where the 11U Titans are enjoying some tournament
baseball, about to battle the Central Kansas Hornets for the title!
Before Sunday rolls into Monday let's preview the coming week and also look back at a few highlights from the last several days.
Good Afternoon K-State Nation! I trust your week is off to a fast start and that you had a great weekend! I spent mine enjoying six "11U Titans" baseball games in Olathe and Shawnee - my son and I saw lots of K-State Alumni Association license plates, Purple and Powercats as we drove around the greater KC area. We are always grateful for our fans showing the pride and wearing the Purple proudly! Speaking of baseball, Coach Hill's charges did a great job of finishing the regular season strong - winning four out of their last six Big 12 games (over KU and at Texas Tech) to play their way into the conference tournament for the sixth straight year. Congratulations to Joe Flattery for throwing K-State's first complete game since A.J. Morris shut down Rice in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Click here for ticket information for the tournament, including our opening-round matchup with Baylor at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Good evening K-State Nation!
After a very productive set of Big 12 meetings and Fiesta Bowl events in
Phoenix, it is great to see the evening American Eagle jet flight to
MHK listed as "on-time" on the "big board" here at DFW Airport. I am
ready to get home and see my family!
This has been a historic day for the Big 12 as current Stanford athletic
director Bob Bowlsby was introduced earlier this morning as our new
conference commissioner. I believe this is a tremendous coup for the Big
12 and am grateful for the leadership and diligence shown by President
Schulz, Oklahoma State President and Big 12 Chairman Burns Hargis and
the other selection committee members in making it happen.
Bob Bowlsby is one of the most respected athletics leaders in the
country and has played an instrumental role in the transformation of the
Pac-12 Conference over the last several years. In addition to his
success as Stanford's AD, he has deep Midwest roots having previously
served for many years as AD at Iowa and Northern Iowa, while his
transcendent skills are illustrated by his role as a member of the board
of directors of the United States Olympic Committee.
Click here to see the conference's official announcement regarding the
appointment and more details on Commissioner-elect Bowlsby's background.
Good afternoon Wildcat Nation!
A busy weekend is upon us here at K-State, and many of you already may
be on your way to Manhattan for tonight's 28th-annual Powercat Auction
at Bramlage. Another sellout crowd will be on hand, and we hope to see
you all on campus over the next several days as we head into an exciting
weekend of events. Here are the highlights and a breakdown of the
events:
Friday:
Powercat Auction and Golf Tournament
We had a great turnout at this morning's Powercat Golf Tournament at
Colbert Hills Golf Course to kick off the weekend. In just a little bit,
we will fill Bramlage for the Powercat Auction, which remains our
department's single-largest fundraising event and supports the Ahearn
Fund, our National Fund for Student-Athlete Excellence. Last year's
event raised more than $275,000 to directly enhance the student-athlete
experience for all Wildcat student-athletes, and all of our Powercat
Members ($300 donation level and above) will be a part of this year's
event. Click here for a full list of auction items that will be
available at tonight's event.
Baseball Opens Series with Oklahoma State
For those fans unable to attend the Powercat Auction, head over to
Tointon Stadium for tonight's 6:30 p.m., matchup with the Cowboys. It's
Ladies Night at the ballpark as fans can purchase a $10 ticket package
that includes one general admission bench ticket and one pink K-State
baseball hat. Additionally, Manhattan area vendors will be available
during the regularly-scheduled pregame tailgate on Friday beginning at 5
p.m., directly behind the stadium off College Avenue. The pregame
tailgate includes a hot dog meal for $4 and a cheeseburger meal for $5.
Good evening K-State Nation!
While our student-athletes begin preparing for next month's final exams,
we will have some exciting events in the weeks ahead with the 2012 Big
12 Track and Field Championships at R.V. Christian Track Complex as well
as the completion of our baseball, tennis, golf and rowing seasons. And
behind the scenes, we continue to make terrific progress in the
planning stages of the West Stadium Center project - the groundbreaking
ceremony is only one week away!
For those of you on campus, you may have run into Coach Weber earlier
today as he and a few members of our staff spent the morning touring the
campus and meeting numerous students, faculty and administrators. I
continue to be impressed with how well Coach Weber has transitioned into
his role here and couldn't be more excited to have him lead our
program.
As you can see, there has been a lot going on so let's get right to some additional updates from around the department.
Good afternoon K-State Nation!
Today has been another busy one for the Wildcats. President Schulz and
Provost Mason are hosting a two-day campus visit by the state of Kansas
Board of Regents, and we just finished giving them a special
construction tour of our $18 million Basketball Training Facility. It
was my first time inside the BTF since February 24 and I was amazed at
the progress in that short time period. The limestone going on the
exterior looks awesome!
There is lots of K-State sports action this weekend, so let's get right to the updates.
West Stadium Center Project Groundbreaking Set for April 28th
Today at lunch we hosted our media for a press conference announcing the
next step in the Bill Snyder Family Stadium Master Plan, the West
Stadium Center ( click here for the official press release). When we
proposed Phase II, the West Stadium Center, at the bowl pep rally at
Rangers Ballpark in January, the reaction and endorsement from our fans
was tremendous, and today I am very pleased to announce that enthusiasm
has translated into dramatic fundraising momentum which will enable us
to formally break ground on April 28, 2012, with the intent to complete
the WSC in time for the 2013 football season. Interest in the project
has been terrific, and with the recent commitment of a $5 million
challenge gift from an anonymous donor and the full subscription of the
WSC's 40 suites, we are now launching the club and loge seating phase of
the project.
At over 250,000 square feet, the West Stadium Center will have something
for every K-State fan and every student-athlete. Our goal of the Best
Fan Experience in the Big 12 will be enhanced with twice as many
restroom fixtures and four times the concession points of sale as the
existing west stadium, along with a hall of honor recognizing the
heritage of our university and athletics program, with equally vital
improvements in safety, security and ADA access.
A student-athlete dining center will directly benefit all K-State
athletics teams while the new structure will mark the northwest gateway
of our beautiful campus and serve as rallying point for the entire
university as we pursue the goal of elevating K-State into the ranks of
the top 50 public research universities by 2025.
The West Stadium Center is also symbolic of our commitment to fiscal
responsibility as no state or university tuition dollars will be used in
its construction while it also generates significant future income to
be invested in our program.
And, not insignificantly, the West Stadium Center and Bill Snyder Family
Stadium Master Plan will help secure our competitive future, a future
we are absolutely committed to championship performances at the highest
level of intercollegiate athletics.
Click here learn more and find out how you can help make the WSC a reality.
Good afternoon Wildcat Nation,
Thank you for your continued support of K-State athletics and our 440 student-athletes and our 16 teams.
A few moments ago, we wrapped up a news conference in the Legends Room
at Bramlage Coliseum to address the status of our men's basketball
program. As you are aware, Coach Martin has resigned his position as
head coach.
Coach Martin's contract called for a renegotiation period to begin on
April 1, but almost two months ago we offered Coach Martin the
opportunity to begin discussions on a significant enhancement and
extension of his contract. His decision, which we respected, was to
wait until the end of the season to begin those conversations and in our
frequent subsequent discussions he maintained that position. On
Friday, I received a call from South Carolina AD Eric Hyman informing me
of their interest in Coach Martin. Later that evening I received a
request from Coach Martin indicating that his representatives had been
in touch with South Carolina and he wished to speak with South Carolina
and intended to take the position if offered. Yesterday afternoon Coach
Martin informed me that he had accepted the position at South Carolina
and was resigning his position at K-State.
We wish him the best and offer our appreciation for all he and his staff
have accomplished for our basketball program, athletics department and
university during his time as head coach.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
Greetings from the Little Apple! After several days of needed rain
showers, it appears we are in store for a beautiful spring weekend as we
host events in baseball and tennis.
It certainly has been a great year so far for our athletics program: in
fact, did you know that K-State is one of only five schools in the
country this year that went to a bowl game and picked up wins in the
NCAA volleyball and both basketball championships? And, we still have
the remainder of the spring season to add to those accolades as
baseball, tennis, golf, track and field, rowing and equestrian continue
their schedules.
Good evening K-State Fans!
After the flight home Tuesday from Connecticut with our women's
basketball team I have been back in the office going through the usual
accumulation that results from a week on the road! Before I dig into
the next stack, I do want to take a moment to offer my congratulations
to both our basketball teams on another terrific season for each. Not
only did both programs reach the 20-win mark again, but K-State was one
of only 10 schools in the nation this year to have both its men's and
women's teams win games in the NCAA tournament. I am very proud of the
hard work of our student-athletes and coaches as we enjoy continued
success both on the court and in the classroom.
As many of you are aware, we experienced a very unfortunate off-court
issue last weekend involving our basketball student-athlete Jamar
Samuels, and I want to take a minute to help our fans understand NCAA
rules and processes related to situations like this.
Greetings from Kansas City!
In just a few hours, we will head over to historic Municipal Auditorium
for our women's Big 12 semifinal basketball matchup with No. 1 Baylor.
If you are in the Kansas City area, come cheer on Coach Patterson's
squad following our big win over Iowa State yesterday. If you cannot
make it to the game, tune in to Fox Sports Net at noon for a live
telecast or listen along the K-State Sports Network.
Thanks to all the fans that made it to either one or both Thursday
matchups in Kansas City - we are pleased with not only the performance
of both of our teams this season but also the continued fan support that
makes Bramlage Coliseum and both venues in Kansas City such a
tremendous home court advantage.
I'm proud of the leadership of both our coaches and the perseverance of
our teams. In a conference as tough as the Big 12 there are going to be
inevitable ups and downs - but did you know that K-State is the only
school in the league to have both men's and women's teams finish in the
top five for two consecutive years? Coach Patterson is now one win away
from her ninth 20th-win season and Coach Martin has had five straight
20-win seasons. In fact, in men's basketball over that time frame KU and
K-State rank first and second in total Big 12 wins!
Good Morning K-State Fans,
I wasn't sure how we could top last Saturday's four wins in tennis,
baseball, and men's and women's basketball, but it's been another great
week already, and we're not slowing down - today is a huge one for
K-State sports action with our track programs competing at the Big 12
Indoor Championships, baseball playing in San Diego, our women's
basketball team at Missouri (watch live here on K-StateHD.tv or listen
in at 12 p.m. on 1350 AM/102.5 FM) and of course our home men's
basketball game against Iowa State at 12:30 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum.
You can catch it on the Big 12 Network/ESPN Full Court on your
television set [KSHB (Kansas City), KSAS (Wichita), KSNT (Topeka)] and
of course on radio with Wyatt and Stan broadcasting along the K-State
Sports Network.
Good Afternoon K-State Fans,
It's been a busy week for the Wildcats! Personally I've made good use
of our five daily American Airlines flights into MHK as I have been on
the road quite a bit. On Monday morning I caught the 6:30 AM flight
through Dallas and headed out west to spend some time with many of our
Colbert Hills "Founders." We are grateful for the vision of those who
conceived and built our outstanding "home" course, which is not only one
of the finest intercollegiate golf facilities in the country but as an
"open-to-the-public" course and dining clubhouse is also a tremendous
asset for our entire university and Manhattan community. Click here for
all the latest information on Colbert Hills.
Tuesday morning the wake-up call came early to enable me to make it back
to DFW for a lunch meeting with our media rights partner Learfield
before catching the afternoon flight into MHK, just in time to pick up
my family and head to Bramlage to see our win over Texas Tech. See
below for a neat story about Texas Tech's Luke Adams that puts it all in
perspective.
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation,
Greetings from Lubbock, Texas, where tonight our 22nd-ranked men's
basketball team will take on Texas Tech in a nationally-televised ESPNU
game at 8 p.m. If you are not around a television set, catch the action
along the K-State Sports Network and on satellite radio channels Sirius
92/XM 191. When I'm on the road I always try to get in an early morning
jog, preferably around a college campus. This morning I ran around the
fine campus of our fellow Big 12 member institution Texas Tech. They've
done a great job improving both their academic and athletic facilities
over the past 10 years. Of course I believe our historic limestone
campus at K-State is already among the prettiest in America, and under
President Schulz's leadership and the K-State 2025 initiative, we will
indeed achieve our goal of being amongst the top 50 public research
universities in America.
Back on the home front, campus is buzzing again as we've begun another
exciting semester here at K-State, and tonight, our second-place women's
basketball team hosts Iowa State at 7 p.m. inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Head over to Bramlage to check out our squad, which is exciting to watch
and playing at a high level. If you cannot be in attendance, tune in to
Cox Kansas 22 for the game, catch the K-State Gameday pregame show on
K-StateHD.TV or listen along the K-State Sports Network.
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation,
It's great to be back in Manhattan following a terrific week at the
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. The bowl staff and the many volunteers -
led by President Rick Baker, Chairman Tommy Bain and Team Selection
Chair Fin Ewing - provided outstanding service in hosting the Wildcats
and providing our student-athletes, staff and fans with a first-class
experience. And, the entire nation tuned in as the classic was among the
highest rated program in America that evening among all networks,
including ABC, CBS and NBC, while over 8.3 million viewers were focused
in on the Powercat and our university!
I would like to thank those of you who made the trip to Dallas/Arlington
to support the K-State football program and our university. From the
15,000-plus fans that packed Rangers Ballpark for the pep rally, to the
35,000-plus who filled Cowboys Stadium for the game, once again, you
have proven once again that K-State has the best fans in the country!
Greetings from Texas!
The AT&T Cotton Bowl family has done a tremendous job hosting the
K-State nation over the past week, and after our incredible pep rally
today at Rangers Ballpark I know our team and fans are all ready to head
across the street tomorrow for the big game versus Arkansas!
It's been awesome to watch the area fill up with purple over the last
couple of days - we are grateful to the passionate support of all
K-Staters, both those who will be present in the stadium and the
extended Wildcat Family watching around the nation on FOX! Thank you!
Greetings Wildcat
Nation!
Let's start by congratulating Deb Patterson and the K-State women's basketball
team for their win over Marist in New York last night which improves the Wildcats'
record to 9-3 on the year. Coach Patterson's charges return home to open Big 12
play against defending NCAA champion Texas A&M next Wednesday, January 4,
at a special start time of 5:30 p.m. A Wildcat Weekday 4-Pack, which includes
four tickets, four concession vouchers for chips, drinks and a hot dog, is
available for as little as $30 - come out and support the Cats!
On the Road at Christmastime
I hope that K-Staters everywhere have had a happy and safe holiday season.
The Currie family had the good fortune to roll out to Colorado for a few days
over Christmas. We drove back on Tuesday, December 27, which happened to be a
beautiful sunny day. Anytime I make that drive, passing through great Kansas
towns like Goodland, Colby, Hays, Russell, etc, I love seeing the crop fields,
elevators, oil rigs, corrals and now windmills that cover the landscape - all
representing the hard work and productivity of the people of our state. I also
think about the many, many hours K-State's great fans spend on the road coming
to Manhattan to support the Cats throughout the year!
Wildcat Nation,
Greetings from 36,000 feet as I type from seat 24D on my way from
New York to Chicago to catch a flight to Wichita and tonight's Wildcat Classic
at INTRUST Bank Arena.
We are excited to have a capacity crowd for the matchup with
future Big 12 foe West Virginia on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Thanks are in order to Mayor Carl Brewer and
the greater Wichita community for the warm way they have welcomed both
teams. This afternoon our legendary Alumni
Association CEO Amy Button Renz was present for Mayor Brewer's naming of
"Wildcat Way" outside the INTRUST Bank Arena.
Good Evening
K-State Fans!
It has been a great weekend to be a Wildcat with big wins by our women's
volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball and football teams - including
Coach Fritz's squad's upset of No. 2 Nebraska (to advance to the NCAA
volleyball Sweet 16), and Coach Snyder's football charges capturing their 10th
win of the season over Iowa State on senior day. Thanks to all the fans that
braved the weather conditions on Saturday - you made a big difference, as you
have all season, in yet another courageous win by our student-athletes!
Good morning Wildcats,
Last week, the Big 12 Conference family suffered a terrible loss when
Oklahoma State head women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant
coach Miranda Serna died in a plane accident while returning from a
recruiting trip. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with their
families as well as the entire Oklahoma State community during these
tough circumstances. Memorial services were held yesterday in Stillwater
with Coach Deb Patterson and Associate Athletics Director Chad Weiberg
making the trip down to represent Kansas State University and pay their
respects.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holidays, it has been a very busy yet exciting month around the department.
Good Morning K-State Nation!
Now that we're well into November and it seems that there is a K-State
athletic event almost every day, I am reminded each day how lucky I am
to be your Athletics Director. Remember that this month is also critical
for our student-athletes as they complete term assignments and get
ready for December's final exams.
From the Mailbag...
This morning I want to share with you a few emails I received earlier this week. The first is going to make you proud.
Good afternoon!
An exciting fall weekend has already begun in Manhattan as alumni from across the country have returned for Homecoming.
It has been a priority for us to keep our K-State alumni and friends up to date as much as possible on developments related to the Big 12 Conference and the national intercollegiate realignment scene.
Today the Big 12 Conference has taken another significant step toward achieving long-term stability and maintaining our reputation as one of the top leagues in the country as West Virginia University has officially been accepted as the newest member of the Big 12 Conference, effective July 1, 2012. We are proud to welcome such a terrific university and athletics program to our league and look forward to furthering our relationships with the Mountaineer administration, coaches, student-athletes and fans.
Good morning K-State fans!
It's Homecoming at Kansas State University and we are excited to have our
terrific alumni and friends back on campus. As a reminder the annual Homecoming
parade takes place this afternoon at 5 p.m. starting along Poyntz Avenue near
Manhattan Town Center featuring honorary Grand Marshalls Jack and Donna Vanier.
In addition to a full slate of regular "day-before-the-game"
activities I have the opportunity to speak to the Ahearn Fund National
Leadership Circle this morning. We can't thank all our donors enough for the
tremendous support K-State is receiving. Did you know that we now have Ahearn
Fund donors in 48 states? Let's find some purple pride for the Ahearn Fund in
Vermont and Maine!
Good evening K-State fans!
First, congratulations to Suzie Fritz and the K-State volleyball team for a great victory over the Jayhawks last night in Lawrence. Obviously this is a big week for the Sunflower Showdown series and it is nice to start it off right!
Busy Day in Lawrence on Saturday Congratulations are also in order to Coach Snyder and the Wildcat football team for the terrific 6-0 start and No. 11 BCS ranking. I know that K-Staters world-wide are excited about the season so far. But, as our coaches always stress, the most important thing is to focus on the next game and make daily improvements across the board. And, this week is a very important test as we travel to Lawrence for the 109th edition of the Sunflower Showdown against the Jayhawks. Tickets are still available for $85.
I'll be heading over early on I-70 with a first stop at the K-State Alumni Association's Wildcat Pregame at Wayne and Larry's Sports Bar and Grill at 933 Iowa Street. Come on out as Powercat Gameday begins at 7 a.m. After that I will attend the annual Sunflower Showdown Legislative Pregame reception jointly hosted by KU and K-State for our legislators before I walk over to the stadium.
Good evening, K-State fans!
Its has been a great last few days for K-State, highlighted by great victories on Saturday over Missouri in football and at Texas Tech in volleyball.
As we have mentioned in previous letters, we want to keep Wildcat fans apprised of conference realignment/expansion details as they emerge.
Tonight the Big 12 Conference has taken a significant step toward achieving long-term stability and maintaining our reputation as one of the top leagues in the country as TCU has officially elected to join the Big 12 Conference earlier this evening, effective July 1, 2012. We are proud to welcome such a terrific university to our league and look forward to furthering our relationships with their administration, coaches, student-athletes and fans.
Good
afternoon K-State fans!
I'm getting ready to head east to
Kansas City for a few afternoon media appearances before I spend some time with
the KC Catbackers at their weekly meeting - if you are in the KC area tonight
stop by Lucky Brewgrille in Mission beginning at 5:30 p.m. and join in the fun.
Before I hop in the car and hit I-70, I want to thank you for your attendance
and support at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and Ahearn Field House so far this
fall.
This past weekend, our terrific football crowd made a difference in the outcome
of the game against Baylor, and Coach Snyder and our student-athletes
appreciate your support. Our home attendance average so far this year is
50,058, and we are currently one of just 21 schools in the nation to operate at
full capacity for multiple games and just one of 13 to do so for three or more
games!
September 28, 2011
Good afternoon K-State fans!
The fall semester is off to a terrific start as our student-athletes, coaches and staff members continue to work hard each and every day.
I would like to commend Wildcat Nation on a strong showing in Miami last weekend as Coach Snyder and our football team were victorious in one of the most exciting games in all of college football. It has been a very exciting and successful season thus far in the Big 12 - ESPN released its latest conference ratings Monday with the Big 12 overtaking the SEC for the top spot thanks to a combined 26-2 record against non-conference opponents.
Good morning K-State fans!
This letter is going to be a bit different from the normal, but first - congratulations to K-State volleyball for its win last night! And on the alumni front, how about Jordy Nelson and Darren Sproles both finding the endzone last night in the NFL season opener!
The last several days have certainly been interesting! I know that is frustrating for our fans to hear so many conflicting rumors and speculation about the Big 12 and other conference alignment issues, especially considering the Big 12 was undefeated and had the most wins among automatic qualifier (AQ) conferences on opening weekend and currently has six teams in the top 25. We continue to believe that K-State's interests are best served in our current contiguous geography and great rivalries. Certainly we are continuing to actively work together and with our colleagues to appropriately position K-State's rich athletics tradition and national brand.
Good afternoon Wildcats! I assure you that after the much talked about events of the past few weeks I have never been more ready for the start of a fall athletic season. It's time to shift the focus of college athletics back to where it ought to be all the time - to the fields and courts on which our world-class student-athletes compete. Here are a few updates from Wildcat Land as we head into a big weekend. Eastern Kentucky Game, 3rd Annual Family Reunion Sold Out!Earlier today we announced that our fans have stepped up once again to achieve our third-straight season-opening sellout at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. As the game is just a few days away, please remember to arrive early to avoid traffic congestion that may arise around town, especially due to the K-18 project west of Manhattan - click here for our press release on traffic in the city and around the stadium.
Good afternoon Wildcats!
The Manhattan community and K-State campus are buzzing with the record number of students who began fall semester classes this week. This past Sunday night, approximately 6,000 fired-up K-State students took part in the Week of Welcome pep rally at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. This event has become a special annual tradition for K-State students with a stirring performance by the Pride of Wildcatland Band, Cheer and Classy Cats, and great remarks from President Schulz, Coach Snyder and a number of student-athletes. The best student section in college football is ready for an exciting 2011-12 athletics season and so are we!
Good morning Wildcats!
Today is an exciting day for Kansas State University and K-State Athletics. For several months we have targeted today to share with you some ground-breaking news about a project that Athletics and University staff have been working on for the past year.
Obviously there have been a few other hot college news items over the last several days and we even briefly discussed possibly delaying our announcement in light of these distractions.
However, despite those distractions, our coaches and staff haven't slowed down one bit working every day toward our vision of a model intercollegiate athletics program with a world-class student-athlete experience - so, we are very proud to announce today the launch of our own exclusive, high-definition online video network known as K-StateHD.TV!
Good afternoon Wildcats!
I trust you are enjoying a safe summer and have managed to keep cool throughout our recent heat wave.
Let's start off today's letter with a big THANK YOU to all of our fans, alumni and friends across the country for their support and participation in the Ahearn Fund. Because of you, when the books closed on June 30, the 2011 fiscal year was the biggest ever giving year in K-State Athletics history.
Thanks to grass-roots support our membership grew by 14.5% to an all-time high of 7,027, we surpassed our Ahearn Fund annual goal again, this time by $1 million, and, total athletics gifts (not including pledges) reached $17.7 million, a 5% increase over FY 2010's then-record performance.
Good afternoon Wildcats!
Today is the final day of the fiscal year and I am grateful to report to you that for the second straight year we fully expect to have achieved a balanced budget for FY2011 when we finish closing the books later this summer.
Two years ago we promised in the K-State Pledge that fiscal integrity and transparency would be among our five core goals for K-State Athletics. Through your support and participation as ticket holders and in the Ahearn Fund, new measures promoting efficiency and cost containment, and the excitement generated by the performances of Wildcat student-athletes, we have been able to fulfill that promise. It takes a total team effort to achieve this goal - our fans buying tickets and contributing to the Ahearn Fund while trusting us to be good stewards of their gifts, along with the budget consciousness of our staff and coaches.
As I have said before, the grass roots support of our fans provides us a unique advantage here at K-State and nothing reflects that any more than when you make it to Manhattan to be a part of capacity crowds at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum and all of our other venues.
Good afternoon Wildcats!
I trust your week is going well - ours started off great Monday night with a very special department reception at the beautiful Colbert Hills clubhouse in honor of our track and field student-athletes and coaches and their Top-20 national finishes a few weeks ago. Both of our 2011 national champions, Ryann Krais and Erik Kynard, were in attendance along with a number of our 2011 All-Americans and their teammates. Seeing these young people have the opportunity to enjoy team fellowship and be recognized for their success is an important component towards our goal of providing our student-athletes a world-class experience at Kansas State.
I'm already looking forward to Manhattan having the opportunity to experience live and up close these incredible competitors and the rest of the next year's Big 12 Outdoor Championships - mark your calendars now for May 11-13, 2012, and be a part of the action!
Good morning Wildcats!
We trust your summer is off to an enjoyable start -- it's already been an action-packed month here on campus as we push to the end of the fiscal year and prepare for 2011-12. The new infill artificial turf in Bill Snyder Family Stadium looks awesome and many of our student-athletes have told me how much they like the feel of the new surface. If you ride by the east side of the stadium you can see that the upper-deck restrooms are about to get their roofs and the contractor will soon begin cladding the new structures with Flint Hills limestone. And of course, the final excavation is almost complete for the Basketball Training Facility!
Good afternoon Wildcats!
I hope you had a nice and relaxing Memorial Day holiday. Certainly all of us are grateful for the service and sacrifice through the years of all our servicemen and women ... and their families.
Like many of you Memorial Day was busy for our family - my son and I joined the baseball team at Tointon Family Stadium to watch the NCAA selection show, and the whole family hit Aggieville for lunch at Kites before a little pool time.
Good morning Wildcats!
It's exactly two years to the day since I was introduced as your athletics director. Our family loves living in Manhattan and being part of the K-State nation!
This week has been just like the last 104 ... busy! I've enjoyed being in Dodge City for the Catbacker tour kickoff event, attending an alumni association event last night before our baseball game in Wichita and am currently making a quick trip (thanks to one of four daily flights by American Airlines out of MHK) to see a few donors, a bowl partner and attend to some other long-range planning business before returning for the Kaw Valley Catbacker event and our baseball home finale against KU Friday night.
Good evening Wildcats!
It's a gorgeous spring day in Manhattan and as I look outside my office window, preparations are underway for tomorrow's Ward Haylett Invitational track meet, while just a few hundred yards away Tointon Stadium is ready to host Missouri beginning tonight for a critical Big 12 baseball series. We encourage all our fans to come out to support your Wildcat student-athletes in these exciting contests. I also want to congratulate personally freshman Petra Niedermayerova on her selection this week to the NCAA women's tennis championships!
On this busy afternoon I would like to share with you details of an important announcement we are making today regarding a legal settlement in the two-year-old dispute with former head coach Ron Prince. All of us at K-State are pleased to bring closure to this matter and we are especially grateful to our general counsel's office for its hard work. You can read our entire press release by clicking here.
Good afternoon Wildcats!
All of our spring sports are gearing toward postseason play and our student-athletes are beginning preparations for final exams. At K-State, we take great pride in our goal of providing a world-class student-athlete experience and the total development of our student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom.
In that regard, last night was our second annual Powercat Choice Awards at Bramlage Coliseum, an ESPY-like show that is put on by our student-athletes. Be sure to check out k-statesports.com to see all of the winners plus photo and video features. Also, we recently held our annual Career Cats luncheon in the KansasStateCars.com Club at Bill Snyder Family Stadium as many student-athletes dressed in business attire to participate in practice interviews with nearly 30 employers. All our fans should be proud of these young people and we appreciate the many employers who took time to participate.
Good afternoon Wildcats!
Today is a great day for Kansas State University and the Big 12 Conference! Earlier this afternoon, the conference announced that it has agreed to a new 13-year television contract with FOX Sports that will run through the 2024-25 season. I am grateful for the leadership of the Big 12 Board of Directors, Commissioner Beebe and our conference administration as well as the FOX Sports team in partnering together on this significant agreement.
So what does this mean for K-State and all 200,000-plus alumni and friends across the country?
Good afternoon Wildcats!
I can't think of a better way to spend a beautiful weekend in Manhattan than sitting at Tointon Family Stadium cheering on the Cats. Sunday's weather was tremendous as Coach Hill's team knocked off No. 5 Texas A&M, 9-4, behind a big day at the plate from reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Nick Martini. Not only did Nick go 3-for-5 in the game, but he set a new NCAA record for consecutive games reaching base safely at 87!
Also on Sunday, our women's rowing team finished third in the top collegiate race of the weekend in San Diego and our 31st-ranked tennis team improved to 12-4 and 3-3 in conference play with a 5-2 win at Iowa State. The Wildcat netters are now 4-1 in road matches and have reached the 12-win mark for the first time since 2003.
Good evening from March Madness!
Hats off to the baseball team for making our night with a 6-5 triumph over the Cornhuskers at Tointon Family Stadium. I followed the game on my Blackberry via the relatively new Gametracker application- cool stuff!
On our men's basketball flight to Tucson Tuesday afternoon from Manhattan, I spent time signing a big stack of thank you notes to brand new Ahearn Fund donors.
Good Afternoon Wildcats!
Last night was a fun one for the Wildcats with an impressive nationally-televised Big Monday win at No. 7 Texas. We are all very proud of Coach Martin and our team for the way they battled back from a halftime deficit to take K-State to a 3-1 Big Monday record for 2011. As I pulled into the driveway about 1:30 a.m. this morning after the team flight home from Austin I couldn't help but reflect on an extremely busy five days or so around the department, a stretch representational of our vision of having a model intercollegiate athletics program.
Good Afternoon Wildcat fans!
First off, congratulations to both Coach Martin and Coach Patterson for great basketball wins this week. The men's team showed great courage Monday night with a tremendous win over No. 1 KU in front of a terrific and intense Bramlage Coliseum crowd, marking the program's fourth all-time victory against a top-ranked team (and second in as many years).
Then last night the women's team handily defeated Colorado, 78-51, for the 799th win in program history! With our next victory K-State will become just the 13th school in women's basketball history and second in the Big 12 to record 800 wins!
Good Morning Wildcat fans!
It's another Big Monday in Manhattan! We are looking forward to tonight's game with KU and know the nation will witness a loud and energetic Bramlage Coliseum tonight.
And while we are excited for tonight's Sunflower Showdown, Saturday's 3 p.m. matchup with Oklahoma will also be an exciting day with the annual K-State Proud student campaign adding to the activities surrounding the game. The family environment and spirit here at K-State is what makes our University and community so special and this event is a creative and unique way for K-Staters to showcase their pride and support.
In its fifth year, K-State Proud is designed for students to take part in their own philanthropic efforts in order to help fellow students. K-State Proud t-shirts can be purchased at the KSU Student Union or any GTM location with the proceeds going towards the campaign. Show your support of K-State students by wearing your K-State Proud shirt to the game on Saturday and creating a Blackout in Bramlage! If you would like more information on the event, visit www.k-stateproud.org.
Good Morning Wildcat fans!
I hope everyone has had a safe week so far and managed to stay warm during the frigid weather that a majority of the country has endured these last few days. Here are a few updates as we work towards getting back to our normal routines.
Wildcat Fans,
It's Big Monday in Manhattan! We look forward to seeing a packed Bramlage Coliseum tonight as we host Baylor at 8 p.m. in our first of two home games on ESPN's marquee weekly telecast.
Here are a few updates from the department as the spring semester kicks off and many of our athletic teams get back into competition.
Good Afternoon Wildcats, First off, I would like to commend the 9,000-plus fans who filled Bramlage Coliseum yesterday as Coach Patterson and the women's basketball team won their eighth straight game at home and Big 12 Conference opener against No. 25 Oklahoma State. It was a terrific environment and our student-athletes and coaches were very appreciative of the turnout.
I wanted to take the time today to thank the Wildcat Nation for its dedication and continued support of K-State Athletics and Kansas State University.
January 6, 2011
Happy New Year!
I hope all of Wildcat Nation had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year. Let me start off today's note by thanking the 5,000-plus Wildcat fans who made the trip to New York City to support Coach Snyder and our football team at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Our fans, as they always do, did a great job of positively representing our university and, though the outcome of the game was one that was bittersweet, our players and coaches fought hard and provided one of the most exciting bowl games of the 2010 season.
Dear Wildcat fans,
Greetings from SUNNY New York City!
Coach Snyder and the football team have another busy day planned, which you may have already read about in Mark Janssen's daily update.
Last night I went with our student-athletes and coaches to the team welcome dinner in the Legends Club at Yankee Stadium. Also in attendance were the coaches and players from Syracuse. Wildcat fans should be proud of how Coach Snyder's teams represent K-State at such events. Our players were dressed in coats and ties, and I noticed a number of our student-athletes taking the time to personally thank Yankees President Randy Levine and other bowl officials.
Good Afternoon Wildcat Nation!
Today is a big day - the 6-0 Wildcat women's basketball team tips off at 18th-ranked Iowa at 2 p.m. (listen on the K-State Sports Network and online for FREE) and then by tonight the bowl line-up will be complete and approximately 8,000 student-athletes will get ready to experience the thrill of participating in college football's post-season!
Happy Thanksgiving Wildcat Nation!
It's hard to believe the semester is nearing completion, but I wanted to take this opportunity to wish K-Staters everywhere a Happy Thanksgiving.
We have had an exciting fall semester so far - Coach Snyder has our football program back in the bowl picture, we have ranked among the nation's best for home attendance in volleyball and our women's cross country team capped a memorable season reaching the NCAA Championships for the first time in 10 years and finished No. 25 in the nation!
Both basketball teams are also off to terrific starts, and we appreciate those who attended the CBE Classic at Sprint Center and helped turn Kansas City purple.
Good morning Wildcats!
It continues to be a very busy and exciting month here at Kansas State and we began the week with some great news as our women's cross country team earned an at-large berth to next week's NCAA Championships for the first time since the 2000 season!
Congratulations to Coach Mike Smith and the team of Martina Tresch, Sydney Messick, Boglarka Bozzay, Avery Clifton and Meghan Heuer, who finished 5th in the Regional meet this past Saturday to punch their ticket. Martina and Sydney earned all-region honors as well by finishing 11th and 15th individually, and Sydney is our only senior from that group so we are very excited about the way the program is developing.
Good morning Wildcats!
November is a wild month for an intercollegiate athletics department - and our fans! With so many of our teams in the midst or beginning of their competitive seasons, it seems there is something going on just about every day. Our golf teams were in action the first half of the week. Men's basketball beat Newman before a sold-out Bramlage Coliseum Tuesday (3,500 students in attendance - wow!), volleyball beat Texas Tech 3-1 last night in Ahearn and women's basketball plays an exhibition game at 7 p.m., tonight in Bramlage.
Tomorrow, our nationally recognized equestrian program will take on Oklahoma State at Timber Creek Stables (click here for map and schedule of competition). Congratulations are also in order for our women's cross country team, which finished 6th in last weekend's Big 12 Conference meet and qualified for the November 13 NCAA Midwest Championships in Peoria, Ill. Sydney Messick led the Cats with a 5K time of 20:49:85 - thus earning her All-Big 12 honors.
Good morning Wildcats!
It was a great weekend in Manhattan with a huge Madness crowd, the unveiling of the proposed basketball training facility plans and another awesome home crowd in Ahearn for volleyball Saturday night.
I am looking forward to my first trip to Waco this weekend. In addition to the Baylor game, I will comprehensively tour their facilities and campus. Led by Athletic Director Ian McCaw they too have done an outstanding job of improving their infrastructure over the past few years.
Good evening Wildcats!
The last 24 hours have certainly been a lot of fun! We appreciate those of you who made the trip to Lawrence last night for the football game. We had a great purple contingent at Memorial Stadium to help lead the Wildcats to a big Sunflower Showdown win over the Jayhawks.
Tonight was a big moment for our basketball programs as fans filled Bramlage Coliseum for Madness in Manhattan and the official start of the 2010-11 season. I appreciate the hard work and creativity of our staff in putting together an entertaining event that included activities with both teams, drop-ins into ESPNU's nationally televised midnight madness program and a video feature from the cast of ABC's Modern Family featuring our good friend, K-State alumnus and Emmy Award winner Eric Stonestreet.
Thursday night's football game against sixth-ranked Nebraska will provide us a unique opportunity to showcase our program and university on ESPN's Thursday Night College Football platform. As we approach the game, I want to provide some thoughts and details that will allow you a smooth trip to and from the stadium.
Greetings from Dallas, where this week I am attending meetings of the Division I-A Athletics Directors and Big 12 Conference AD's.
I would like to start off today by thanking each of you who weathered the storm with us this past weekend at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and returned in full force to help lift the Wildcats to a big win over UCF. We appreciated your patience and orderly cooperation as we waited for the storm to move through the area, and your dedication was observed by millions on national television once the game resumed play. I'm grateful to our operations staff and law enforcement folks who worked together. As we review our emergency management plans please don't hesitate to email your observations and experiences - as always you can go to the TELL JOHN link on the front page of k-statesports.com and let me know what you think.
Saturday's attendance of 50,586 marked the first time since 2004 we have had two games over 50,000 in the same season. Our attendance of 150,106 is also the largest for the first three non-conference games in our history.
Let me start off by re-capping a terrific weekend in Kansas City as Wildcat Nation painted the city purple. I spent Friday traveling around KC to several meetings, as well as circling town on a mini media tour. There was a definite buzz in the stadium on Saturday as the Wildcats improved to 3-0 on the season with a big win over division foe Iowa State. As Laird Veatch and I pulled into the Arrowhead parking lot at 730 a.m. there were already thousands of K-Staters hard at work tailgating and getting ready.
We have a lot of exciting things going on inside K-State Athletics as the fall season moves on and more of our teams are beginning competition. So here's a quick update this week from inside the department:
First off, THANK YOU Wildcat fans for making last weekend a huge success - not only did we set a new football attendance record for a home-opener (that's two years in a row!) but your support and presence led to a Wildcat Weekend sweep in football, volleyball and cross country!
Here's a quick update this week from inside K-State Athletics:
Athletics Director John Currie held a live chat with K-State fans on September 1. A full transcript of the chat is now available
Good morning Wildcat fans! Game Week is finally here and it's certainly a busy time around the department and university community as the students have returned for fall classes and we gear up for another exciting year. We have made tremendous progress as a department over the past year and look forward to continuing that trend in 2010-11 with your ongoing support and dedication.
Here's an update from inside K-State Athletics.
Volleyball Home Opener Tomorrow
Coach Fritz and the volleyball team open up the 2010 home season tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The 2010 team will be a fun one to watch grow as the Wildcats feature an exciting group of talented freshmen to complement returning veterans like JuliAnne Chisholm and Lauren Mathewson. Wednesday's match against South Dakota will begin at 7 p.m. and is your first chance to see our new enhanced seating systems and other improvements. The Varney's Invitational on Friday and Saturday features Loyola Marymount, Oral Roberts and Georgia Tech and provides the backdrop for our biggest volleyball alumni reunion ever. Last year we started a rotation in which we'll honor the alumni of two or three of our teams with a major reunion each year over a five year period. More than 50 Wildcat volleyball alums are expected - you can see them in Ahearn as well as on the field before the football game Saturday.
If you have a ticket to Saturday's football game, you can gain admission to Saturday's 7 p.m. volleyball match against Georgia Tech for just $3.
Good afternoon Wildcat fans! I hope everyone has safely endured the August heat and had a relaxing and enjoyable summer with friends and family. We are less than three weeks away from the start of the fall sports season as our football, volleyball and cross country programs are beginning final preparations for their first competitions. Here are some of the latest updates from inside K-State Athletics.
It's hard to believe that August is upon us - the students will be moving back to campus soon and football and volleyball training camps get underway this week! I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer... below are some of the latest updates from inside K-State Athletics.
Check out the new k-statesports.com
This afternoon we launched a new and improved k-statesports.com that will provide you with more information, features and ways to follow Wildcat athletics. One of our top priorities as a department is to find ways to improve upon our fan experience and customer service, and we feel we have taken another step with this enhanced website - which includes free live audio streaming of all game broadcasts. Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think. As is customary with a project of such magnitude and layers of information, there may be a few pages or areas on the site that are temporarily unavailable over the course of the next week or two. Both our staff and the support team at CBSSports.com have been hard at work on this project for the past several months and will continue to iron out any bugs that we find after the launch.
Good afternoon Wildcat Nation! I hope everyone is having a relaxing and enjoyable summer. As we inch closer to the start of the fall semester - our football, volleyball and cross country programs will begin fall practice in roughly three weeks - I wanted to update you on what's going on inside K-State Athletics.
Coming Soon!
We are committed to providing the best fan experience in the Big 12 and finding ways for Wildcat fans worldwide to have as much access to K-State Athletics as possible. In just a few weeks, we will unveil a new k-statesports.comthat will provide numerous improvements and features to significantly enhance your internet experience. Included in the revamped site will be live FREE audio streaming for all Wildcat sporting events, an updated ticket page that will allow for more user-friendly navigation, access to a nationally prominent online merchandise store with outstanding variety and options, the latest in video players for Powercat Passport subscribers, Gametracker live stats and much more. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we launch this new platform. Once it is up and running, let us know how it is working for you and additional improvements you'd like to see.
Good afternoon Wildcat Nation!
Today we are trying out a slightly different format for my letter - here is your personal update from inside K-State Athletics in a format you may find more convenient to read. Let me know what you think.
Big 12 Conference Update
Obviously we are pleased and encouraged with the strong and positive steps forward by the "new" Big 12. Many K-Staters have asked about how the conference alignment issues affect K-State's academic standing and vice-versa. President Schulz's most recent letter to the campus community is terrific and provides great perspective on this subject.
http://www.k-state.edu/president/letterstocampus/
President Schulz continues to provide outstanding leadership for K-State and the Big 12. Simply put - this is a moment in time which provides tremendous opportunity for K-State to take a great leap forward - academically and athletically.
Dear Wildcat Nation:
Good afternoon!
I believe that it has been about two weeks since my last letter, and certainly this has been a very hectic and fast-paced time for Kansas State University, the Big 12 Conference, our current member institutions, and you our fans. I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we worked through the conference developments. Many of you took the time to send President Schulz and me emails and notes of encouragement with suggestions and ideas. Both of us appreciated very much all the feedback and support that we received from Wildcat fans worldwide.
Dear Wildcat Nation, Good morning from Manhattan! We adjourned just a few hours ago from our latest 7 a.m. head coaches meeting and every time we gather as a group to discuss various matters, I am again reminded how lucky we are to have such a fine group of coaches leading our student-athletes and programs here at K-State. It has been an eventful week around the country in intercollegiate athletics and I thought it was very important to provide you with an update. Our fans have been instrumental in helping us get to where we are today, and we will continue to rely on your support as we move closer to our goal of a model intercollegiate athletics program. As you may be aware, last week's Big 12 Conference meetings in Kansas City centered on potential conference realignment, which has caused a lot of conflicting media reports that typically are speculation built upon speculation built upon assumptions that may or may not be relevant or real. Such speculation can certainly be uncomfortable for some, but I'm very optimistic about our league and it continuing to prosper, grow and thrive. And I believe that we can continue to be what we are now, which is a league that from an athletics perspective has a dominant position in college athletics. For your reference, are here is our joint news release with the University that was released last week and the Kansas Board of Regents' statementregarding our commitment to the Big 12.
Dear Wildcat Nation, Good morning from Manhattan!Let me start by wishing all K-Staters a safe and meaningful Memorial Day - certainly all of us are grateful for the service and sacrifice through the years of all our servicemen and women ... and their families. Last month I had the opportunity to speak to the great kids at Fort Riley Middle School. About 60% of those 6th, 7th and 8th graders have a parent deployed overseas! Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers not just today but every day. Tomorrow, I am heading down I-70 to Kansas City for the Big 12 annual meetings and there are several items I want to share with you before I hit the road.
Dear Wildcat Nation, It was one year ago today that I was introduced as your Athletics Director, and what a year it has been! We are very proud of how hard our student-athletes, coaches and staff have worked this year and are excited to keep the momentum going as we move towards our vision of a model intercollegiate program. While much of the current media buzz centers around conference expansion and realignment, which I touched on in my previous letter, I want to share with you a few updates from around our department as we head into the summer months:
Dear Wildcat Nation, Catbacker season has officially begun and this week our 33-stop tour across the state kicks off in Western Kansas with stops in Dodge City followed by Garden City, Scott City, Colby and Hays. Our Catbacker program is one of the best college fan tours in the country and it is fun to be out on the road with our president, alumni president, foundation president and our coaches and staff visiting with K-Staters and talking about Kansas State University. This week also marks the annual Big 12 men's and women's basketball meetings. Coach Patterson, Coach Martin and I will be in Dallas for those before heading to the Scott City event on Wednesday. As you may have read, the Big 12 and Pac-10 athletic directors and commissioners met informally for a few hours last week in Phoenix to discuss different ideas and potential synergies. This was the latest in a series of proactive steps and communications over the last year or so that we have taken to continue to strengthen the position of K-State and the rest of the Big 12 relative to both conference alignment and our next round of television negotiations.
Dear Wildcat Nation, First off, thank you to all the fans who were in attendance at this past weekend's Purple/White game. Coach Snyder and our student-athletes have worked very hard this spring and the progress in the program under his leadership is evident! We are at a very important time of the year as many of our sports are heading into postseason play and all of our student-athletes are preparing for final exams. At Kansas State, we take great pride in our goal of providing a world-class student-athlete experience and the total development of our student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom. Yesterday I had the fortune to attend our Career Cats luncheon. Over 35 Wildcat student-athletes came in their business attire to do practice interviews with nearly 30 companies. All our fans should be proud of these young people. We appreciate the many employers who took time to participate as well. Immediately before the luncheon I hosted an online chat which you can read at kstatesports.com. In addition to the topics covered yesterday here are some other items I want to share with you.
Dear Wildcat Fans,
Greetings from Manhattan! As we get ready to head into the stretch run of the spring sports season we have lots going on to share, but let's pause for a moment once more to recognize our men's basketball team's record-breaking season and great run. Coach Martin and his staff, our terrific players, and of course our passionate Wildcat fans showcased K-State to the nation all year! See below for details about opportunities to greet and thank the team later this month.
Here are a few updates from the department:
Dear Wildcat Fans,
Welcome (back) to the Sweet 16! Congratulations to Coach Martin and the team and staff for their terrific performances in both Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Coach Martin and the team, President Schulz and I are all so grateful for the tremendous support of the K-State Nation which turned both cities purple!
Dear Wildcat Nation, Welcome (back) to the Sweet 16! Congratulations to Coach Martin and the team and staff for their terrific performances in both Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Coach Martin and the team, President Schulz and I are all so grateful for the tremendous support of the K-State Nation which turned both cities purple! March Madness is an appropriate term for many reasons! In addition to the excitement of the games on the court, our staff is working hard with the details of the team's trip, making sure that our fan needs are handled, as well as supporting all of the other "regular" activities and competitions taking place in the department. Let me highlight a couple items that you make have seen recently on www.kstatesports.com.
Dear Wildcat Nation, As we head to Kansas City for the Big 12 basketball tournaments I want to take a moment to thank each and every Wildcat basketball fan who has supported our teams this season. We've had great moments in Bramlage Coliseum including women's upset wins over ranked teams Iowa State and Kansas, and of course a complete sell-out of the men's home conference schedule and exciting nationally televised moments throughout the season. I appreciate the efforts of Coach Martin and Coach Patterson, and our staffs and players and we look forward to supporting their efforts to continue to build our programs.
Today we are pleased to share with you an exciting announcement regarding the men's basketball program.
Dear Wildcat Nation, With our winter sports heading down the final stretch of their seasons and the spring sports getting underway, we are entering one of the busiest and most exciting months of the athletic season here at K-State. This weekend typifies what college athletics is all about - our track teams are in Ames competing for conference honors and NCAA provisional qualification in multiple events at the Big 12 Indoor Track Championships with women's basketball right down the street to play the Cyclones Saturday night at 7 p.m. Our sixth-ranked equestrian team will open up its spring home season at Fox Creek Farm with an IHSA show Saturday at 9 a.m., tennis will host Wichita State at noon Saturday at Cottonwood racquet club, baseball is in Florida to play eight games in nine days, and last but certainly not least, the sixth-ranked men's basketball team will be back home in Bramlage Coliseum Saturday for a crucial game against Missouri (7 p.m. on ESPNU)!
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