A Letter from A.D. John Currie - December 13, 2016
Dec 13, 2016 | Letters From The AD
Good Afternoon K-State Nation!
It was a busy weekend here in America's No. 1 College Town as graduation ceremonies, our men's basketball game in Kansas City, women's basketball game at Bramlage, track and field at Ahearn Field House and postseason awards ceremonies and banquets for football and volleyball kept our staff and student-athletes busy over the last few days. I would like to personally congratulate all graduates from K-State this past weekend, including the 23 student-athletes who were able to walk across the stage and receive their undergraduate degrees. And, it was special to join President Myers in recognizing Coach Weber and Megan on his 400th career win and Coach Mittie and Shanna on his 500th win on the courts prior to Saturday and Sunday's games, respectively.
Big Game this Sunday in Bramlage as Princeton Comes to Town
If you were among the sold-out crowd of 12,528 in Bramlage or nationwide audience on FS1 Sunday afternoon you witnessed an atmosphere befitting our goal of a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience as the women's team battled to the end with No. 1-ranked UConn. FS1 has reported Sunday's game was the most-watched women's game of the year on the network with more than double its average viewership! Despite incurring our first loss of the season, Coach Mittie and our squad continued to be ranked among the top 10 in women's basketball RPI with a 9-1 record. After a week off for exams we host an outstanding Princeton squad which has appeared in six of the last seven NCAA tournaments and already defeated Rutgers and Seton Hall thus far in the 2016-2017 season, on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Bramlage, and tickets start at just $3 with your UConn ticket, $5 in advance, or $8 on gameday.
I-70 Series Continues in Denver for K-State Men's Basketball
We had a spirited Purple crowd (awesome to see so many young K-State families there!) in the Sprint Center Saturday night for a 70-56 victory over Pac-12 foe Washington State, and now Coach Weber and the 9-1 men's team will head west to Denver on Saturday as they face a very talented Colorado State squad (which knocked off CU in Boulder a few weeks ago) in the Pepsi Center. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. CST and can be seen nationally on the CBS College Sports Network. K-State fans in the Denver area can click here to buy tickets through the Pepsi Center box office. Following a December 21 home game with Gardner Webb we want to pack Bramlage with Purple on December 30 as the Cats host Texas in our Big 12 opener at 7 p.m., in what will be the start of an exciting Big 12 schedule. Both the December 21 and 30 games are part of the Holiday Mini Plan that also includes the women's basketball game on January 1 against West Virginia and a K-State stocking cap - all for just $30.
Football on a Roll Prepping for Bowl
And of course, Coach Snyder and the football team have begun preparations for our December 28 game with former Big 12 rival Texas A&M in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl. With one of Coach Snyder's youngest teams ever, our squad won eight games in the regular season which included a 5-1 mark in the final half of the season – joining just USC and Georgia Tech as FBS teams this season who started 3-3 and finished with eight wins. Many of our players have received various awards and recognitions for their efforts this season, so be sure and check out k-statesports.com for the latest information.
We hope you have already or will soon make your plans to be in Houston after the Christmas holidays to support our student-athletes and program. Public tickets for K-State fans are still available at the K-State Online Ticket Office and through the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum or via phone at 1-800-221-CATS. We strongly encourage fans to order through K-State's official allotment to ensure that all Wildcat fans are seated in the official K-State sections of the stadium. The location for K-State's ticket allotment at the Texas Bowl is among the best of any bowl game with prime sideline seating locations available for $85. Click here for our bowl headquarters page which includes ticket information.
Drum roll please.... Here's the 2017 Big 12 Football Schedule
And speaking of football, just moments ago the conference office released the 2017 Big 12 Conference football schedule. The addition of the Big 12 Conference Championship game next season on December 2 required the league staff to comprehensively re-work the composite schedule, and we appreciate your patience! Here is our 2017 schedule – enjoy and plan now to be in Bill Snyder Family Stadium for an exciting year of football and help achieve our goal of 40 consecutive sellouts!
• Sept. 30 vs. Baylor
• Oct. 7 at Texas
• Oct. 14 vs. TCU
• Oct. 21 vs. Oklahoma
• Oct. 28 at KU
• Nov. 4 at Texas Tech
• Nov. 11 vs. West Virginia
• Nov. 18 at Oklahoma State
• Nov. 25 vs. Iowa State
We will open the season at home with our 9th annual Family Reunion on September 2 against Central Arkansas, and we are excited for our September 16 road matchup with SEC opponent Vanderbilt and turning Nashville purple! In the coming weeks we will have our final home date set – as we will play a non-conference game in Bill Snyder Stadium either September 9 or 23 giving us seven home games in 2017.
Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank our staff and terrific fans for making the NCAA Volleyball First and Second Rounds a tremendous success. The environment at Bramlage Coliseum was just terrific, and I know Coach Fritz and our team appreciate the support they had throughout the two tournament matches. Though we came up just points short against the Buckeyes, I am so proud of our team for what they accomplished this season and even more proud of K-State Nation for showcasing again why K-Staters are the best fans in the country.
Thank you for making a difference, stay warm and have a great week!
Go Cats!
John
