Recently in Letters from the AD Category
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)!
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)!
Dear Wildcat Nation,
As we move full speed ahead through this exciting basketball season, I'd like to take a moment to share with you an update on our 2010 football schedule. First, my sincere appreciation and thanks go to everyone who helped the Wildcats take a positive step forward this past fall. Our student-athletes and coaches are to be commended for their hard work and determination which led to improvement throughout the season and we all appreciate the loyalty and enthusiastic support of our fans and students. I'm also grateful for our staff's efforts in improving our fan experience.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
Season's Greetings!
It's hard to believe that the fall semester has come to a close, but I wanted to take this opportunity to wish K-Staters everywhere a happy and safe holiday season.
This has been an exciting semester at K-State, from our sold-out Family Reunion on September 5 to our men's basketball team's recent impressive road victories over UNLV and Alabama.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
I want to start off by thanking each and every one of you who were in attendance for our Family Reunion on September 5 as we set a new K-State record for a home-opening crowd with 50,750. You made the night special for the return of Coach Snyder and more than 350 former football lettermen!
President and Mrs. Schulz and I were so impressed with the purple presence of K-State fans in the Pasadena area and at The Rose Bowl this past weekend. The Wildcat Nation was in full force in California as more than 5,000 of you were in attendance cheering on the Cats. Numerous UCLA personnel and even the Fox Sports television announcers were very impressed with your passion and support.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
I am writing this letter as Lon Floyd and I are returning from a great three-day trip out to Western Kansas where we made close to 20 stops and visited with over 70 K-Staters. Our 1,000-mile swing included stops in Pratt, Dodge City, Montezuma, Garden City, Holcomb, Garden City, Scott City, Dighton, Ness City and Great Bend, and I continue to be impressed with the passion and loyalty of our fans.
10 days and counting until the K-State Family Reunion!
It was great to see so many of you at Fan Appreciation Day last Saturday supporting Coach Snyder and our student-athletes.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
It's hard to believe it is already August and we are exactly one month away from our K-State Family Reunion at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. I appreciate the fantastic response of Wildcat fans to the new ticket initiatives for the 2009 season, as nearly 2,000 new season and 8,700 single-game tickets have been purchased since our Family Reunion press conference on July 13. I can't wait to see the stadium full of purple on September 5!
I am so happy that Mary Lawrence and the kids will finally be moving to Manhattan next week. We had a great family vacation in the North Carolina mountains last week, but I am anxious to get them settled here at home.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
Today marks one month since my first day on the job on June 8th. I have had the chance to meet so many extraordinary K-State people, both here in Manhattan and throughout the state.
It has been fun to get out on the road and meet with fans and supporters at eight Catbacker events in Great Bend, Hutchinson, Marysville, Wichita, Kansas City, Salina, Emporia and Topeka, and I appreciate the warm welcome and support I have received from our fans. We are truly fortunate to have such loyal and avid fans.
Dear Wildcat Nation,
Thank you! Mary Lawrence and I are incredibly honored and humbled to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come to Manhattan and join the team at Kansas State. We are grateful to incoming President Kirk Schulz and the search committee for giving us the opportunity to join the K-State family.
I want to thank K-State Alumni Association CEO Amy Button Renz and her search committee members Lee Borck, Suzie Fritz, Dr. Mike Holen, Dr. Melody LeHew, Kevin Lockett, Chris Merriewether and Lydia Peele for their service. Having served in this fashion a few times myself, most recently on the search committee for UT's new chancellor, I fully appreciate the extra time and effort they put into the process.
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