From The Trenches With Senior Andy Klocke
Sep 10, 2002 | Football
Sept. 10, 2002
- by Kerri Mueller, Kansas State Sports Information student assistant
Now days, little boys dream of the opportunity to play under head football coach Bill Snyder and the good fortune of the Wildcat football team. But 15 years ago those same little boys might have chosen to take their talents to the likes of Nebraska, Miami, or Notre Dame instead on putting on the purple and white jersey. Andy Klocke was not one of those. He wanted to wear the purple and white more than 15 years ago.
"I can remember coming to K-State games when I was a little kid with my dad and watching the games," Klocke said. "I grew up not far from here, so I was able to watch the program develop into the winning tradition that it is today. I saw what was taking place here in Manhattan and I wanted to be a part of it."
Wanting something and actually being apart of it are two different things, especially when it comes to wanting to be apart of a Division I program. The biggest obstacle for Klocke was that he played eight-man football in junior and high school at Blue Valley-Randolph, not the usual 11-man. The change from eight-man football to 11-man football is one that few players even attempt, let alone are successful at, but he was ready for the challenge and went in with a positive attitude.
"People told me that I could not do it," said Klocke. "I, though, didn't want to have any regrets 20 years down the road. I didn't want to think back on 'Oh, I wish I would have tried to make it at K-State instead of going to the smaller school'. I was ready for the challenge and I jumped in with two feet. I wanted to give it my best and see what happened."
His high school football coach at Blue Valley Randolph, Mike Teeter, says Klocke was able to take on the challenge with such confidence because of his hard work ethic.
"It is not a real surprise that he is doing so well, because he does pick up on the game so well," Teeter said. "His work ethic has stood out over the years to me. He never missed a meeting, he asked questions and he started working out at the gym even before he was in high school."
Division I schools do not usually recruit eight-man football players to be on their roster, so for the K-State coaches to be looking at Klocke as a walk-on there had to have been some definite advantages to recruiting him.
"I was able to attend one of the camps the football program puts on and while I was there they saw that I was a hard worker," Klocke said. "I'm not that athletically gifted, but they saw I was the guy that was going to work for them, do things right, and be coachable."
K-State assistant coach Bret Bielema has found that Klocke's work ethic and commitment to the game is admirable.
"His work ethic is one of his strongest suits," Bielema said. "He comes in with a lot of desire. He has an overall attitude of getting things done right."
Coming in as a walk-on freshman, Klocke had to start from the bottom and work his way to the two-deep roster.
"He has started from the bottom and worked his way up," Bielema said. "No matter what needs to be done, no matter how hot it is, he's going to get it done. He may not have the natural athletic ability the other guys at the same position have, he but makes up for it with hard work and determination."
"There aren't any definite advantages to taking an eight-man player over an 11-man player," Klocke said. "The games are completely different. The terminology of each game and the styles of play are very distinct and do not carry over to the other game."
"After my first year, I felt like I had worked hard on the scout teams and had a lot of the coaches tell me I would get some opportunities on special teams," Klocke said. "I felt fairly confident after that first year."
However, Teeter would say there are some advantages for athletes from eight-man football.
"In eight-man, you have to be able to do a variety of activities, since there are three fewer men on the field," Teeter said. "It's an extremely quick game. You have to have quick reaction time to make the play happen."
Klocke's academic advisor, Jill Shields, sees as much dedication to his academics as he puts forth on the field.
"Andy is an incredible young man," Shields said. "You see how hard he works on the field and he really emulates that in the classroom. He has been a great example to all student-athletes."
Klocke earned his bachelor's degree in finance this past May and is on course to finish his MBA in the spring. He is also one of only five Wildcats - Steve Altobello, Andy Eby, Brice Libel and Jon McGraw - to have earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors for three consecutive years.
Coach Bielema might put it best when he said, "He brings his lunch bucket to work."
He has been a role model for little boys by showing them that making the change from eight-man to 11-man football might seem an inconceivable, but it is feasible and possible to be successful in the process.
"He's a true student of the game," Bielema said.
